A Splash of Color
by upthelane
Summary: <html><head></head>AU BASED OFF OF THE BEAUTY AND THE BEAST! Alfred has been imprisoned by the Ivan in the place of Arthur. Will Alfred ever see the good in the "beast"? (Eventual RusAme, with mentioning of other ships)</html>
1. Prologue

**Hello friends! This is my first fanfic, please be gentle :) I had this idea for awhile, after reading many RusAme fanfics on this website. Please leave a review! Any comment is beneficial. Even if this does not get many reviews, follows, or favorites, I will still continue posting... Enjoy!**

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><p>Prologue<p>

_Nothing. All I could see… is nothing. I swallowed, leaving a burning sensation in my dry, aching throat. How long has it been… like this? The wind slapped my cheeks; I cringed, but I stood straight and looked ahead. I brought up my gloved hand and rubbed my cheeks, thankful for my thick scarf to protect me. I pulled up the scarf to cover my ears and squinted my eyes, trying not to let the snow blind me. I grasped at the stone railing in front of me. Even though I wore gloves, the cold penetrated through them and burned my hands. I closed my eyes and turned back to my room, closing and locking the doors behind me. I pulled back the worn out curtain and looked through the dusty window. My footsteps were already concealed by a heavy blanket of white. When I let go of the curtain, dust flew and traveled down my throat, causing me to cough painfully. I didn't bother shaking off the snow the piled on me- what difference was it going to make. I was still going to be cold. I trudged towards my bed and sat down, placing my head in my hands, staring at the floor. How has this happened? Oh right… it was around 3 years ago…_

**_Begin Flashback_**

"_Sir, y-you have a guest at the front door," Toris, my servant and right-hand man said meekly to me on a cold, windy night. I sighed, and gently placed my vodka glass on the table next to me. I didn't want to leave the warmth coming from the fire. My duty as the prince required me to greet all guests myself. I pushed myself off the cushioned seat and took my time walking to the front of the mansion; I only glanced at Toris and he started to tremble. I smirked, and made my way to the door. _

_At the bottom of the staircase, I saw a figure; it was covered in snow, shivering slightly. I made my way down, making my footsteps audible and the figure slowly brought it's head up. The figure was an old woman with a horrible hunchback. She had an abundant amount of wrinkles, and her face was mottled with ghastly warts. Her dark eyes looked worn; they have seen many great things, and witnessed many horrors._

"_My lord, it is so very cold outside. Would you be very kind and let an old woman like myself stay for a night or two? Just until the storm passes. Please, I have nothing to offer in return," she croaked. Her teeth were yellow, and she was missing a few. I grimaced, but said nothing. I felt no sympathy for this witch of a woman; her was her fault for walking outside during a storm. _

"_I have no reason to help you, especially since you have nothing to give me in return. You even dare to face the prince with that appearance; now leave immediately, or you will be escorted out by the royal guard." I turned on my heel, and began to walk up the steps once more, looking forward to the rest of my drink. Oh, how I should have let the "woman" stay the night._

_I expected to hear her trudging towards the doors, but instead I heard her laugh. The laughing grew louder and louder, until it turned into cackling then a roar. I slowly turned back around, facing the woman. She was kneeling on the ground with her hands on the carpet to support her, shaking from the laughter. I swallowed nervously, but I stood my ground and showed no sign of fear. Her cloak now covered her body completely, the black swallowing her presence. She started to shake; there was a rumbling in the room. A beam of light was emitted from her body, until the light swallowed her completely and filled the room. I was blinded and fell on the stairs, shielding my eyes. I heard the windows shatter and the wind made me deaf. Even through all this noise I could hear the constant cackle. I finally looked back at her, shocked from what I saw. Instead of the hag, there was a beautiful young woman. The light dimmed and I could see clearly. I may have been lovestruck if it wasn't for her sour face._

"_My appearance, huh, how very shallow of you. The prince is supposed to be the most caring one of all, always helping the villagers. You have now shown your true colors; only a beast could turn away a poor old lady and force her back into the cold. How would you like it if you were cold?" She let out a little giggle. She slowly brought up both of her hands to the top of her head, and let them touch at the base of the palm. She began chanting a ghostly tune, getting louder a louder each line. _

"_Cor tuum est frigidus_

_Ut in hieme,  
>Tu , perpetuo gelu constringi!" <em>

_She kept repeating her chant; soon, another beam of light erupted from her hands. The wind blew me back. I shut my eyes, and waited what she had done to affect me. Nothing happened. Nothing was broken, and she just stood there, looking at me with a small smile. It was not out of kindness; it was almost condescending. _

"_Luckily, I am not as heartless as you. There is a way to fix everything in life, no matter how impossible it may seem." She started to walk around, looking at the paintings the decorated the halls. She stopped and stared at a painting. The painting had a single, vivid sunflower inside a simple vase. _

"_As a present for letting me 'stay', I shall give you a sunflower," the sunflower seemed to grow out of her palm. I just stared. "Alas, this is no ordinary flower." It started to float, giving off an eerie golden glow. "This rose shall stay beautiful and bloom until your 21st birthday. When that day comes, the flower will begin to wilt. The countdown begins when the petals start to fall. If one does not love you for who you truly are, then you and those in this castle will be cursed for the rest of time."_

_The witch cackled loudly again, and with one swish of her cloak she was gone, leaving me and the wind in the dark. _

**_End Flashback_**

_That was 3 years ago, when I was 18. I turned 21 a few days ago, and the flower already has one less petal. If I do not find a love soon, it'll be winter forever._


	2. Chapter 2

**I actually have reviews :D Thanks so much friends! BTW I changed the rating to M from T because I plan to have violent scenes… and maybe frick frack but not in this chapter haha stay tuned…**

Chapter 1

"Wait, are you serious?" Alfred said in between bites of his hamburger. Arthur sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose, sighing loudly to show his annoyance.

"No, are YOU serious, Alfred? I already told you about the trip 3 weeks ago. I'm leaving in 10 minutes, help me pack the wagon." Apparently, Arthur told me that he was heading to the city to sell this year's bountiful harvest instead of selling it in the village ("They will pay more! Think about all the tea we can drink!"). It must have slipped out of my mind. I grabbed the bags full of carrots, potatoes, beets, and lettuce and placed them on the back of the wagon.

"So dude, when are you coming back?" I asked as Arthur sat down, grabbing the reins.

"Like I said before Alfred, I'll be coming back in less than a week. I'm already running late," Arthur said anxiously. The Brit really did not enjoy being late to things. "Please behave, and remember to take care of the animals while I'm gone."

"Alright, sheesh, I'm not a kid anymore ya know…"

Arthur only smiled in return. He was about to slap the reins against Phillipe, when all of a sudden - "Bonjour! Oh Arthur, where do you think you and your sweet little butt are going?" a voice from behind him said. Arthur groaned.

"What do you want, frog. Can't you see I'm busy? Now leave or I'll have Philip kick you."

"NO! Not my beautiful face! Anywhere but there! Also anywhere but my di-"

"SHUT IT. I'm leaving now, you bloody wanker. Alfred, make sure this twat doesn't destroy the house." Arthur slapped the reins, and Philip galloped off over the bridge in front of their cottage and over the hill.

"Ugh, when will mon amor just confess his feelings for me?" Francis sighed dramatically, throwing his arms over his eyes for extra affect. He glanced at me from from under his arm, and gave me a small smile. "I would use my charm on you, mon papillon, but you are too young. It would also ruin any chances I have with my beloved Arthur. Oh Alfred, you used to be such a petit bébé , but now look at you! You are all grown up!" Francis exclaimed. Alfred rolled his eyes, but he couldn't help but smile.

Many villagers think that Arthur is my dad, but to be honest I treat him as if he is my roommate. Francis told me one day a couple years ago that Arthur found me when I was just a toddler. Apparently, I was walking around forest surrounding the village all by myself. Arthur picked me up from the side of the road and he took me back to the cottage where we live in now and took care of me from that point on. Arthur said that I only remembered my name and nothing else. If Arthur never found me, I don't think he would have ever had the chance to be a father, so that's why he quickly took me under his wing. I never have once seen Arthur bring a girl home, so I never had a mom. I guess you can say Francis has been my "mom", with him over all the time. Haha, imagine Arthur and Francis acting like a couple.

"Will you be coming to town later, ma boulette? You know everyone enjoys your company."

"Yeah, sure, I'll be coming around later. See you at the bar dude." I turned around back into the cottage, and heard Francis walk back towards his house on the other side of the bridge. There weren't many chores to do since Arthur did most of them before he left. Not like I was gonna do them anyway. I guess I'll head to town right now. I grabbed my satchel (it's not a purse goddammit!) and filled it with my books. With nothing to do on the farm, I always read and borrow from the library in town. Many people think I'm not smart because of my loud and obnoxious behavior, but reading has been my hobby ever since Arthur brought me back a book about the constellations from his trip to a grecian village far away. Ever since then, whenever Arthur went on a trip outside the village, he would always bring me back a new book. I tried to convince him I was old enough to go on these trips, but he said he needed someone to watch over the farm (but I think it's because he wants some alone time). I grabbed some coins that Arthur left me and put it in my bag. I ran out and locked up the cottage, making sure that the animals are locked in the barn too.

I took my time walking to the village. The glow from the sun let me see the skeleton of the leaves clearly. I jumped down onto a leaf pile, and out scurried a family of soft brown bunnies. Their cuteness made me smile, and I glided deeper into the forest. Arthur and I live on the edge of the village boundaries, right at the end of the forest grounds. Not many people live in the forest; Francis is our closest neighbor. From where I stand, the smell of a freshly baked cake rose from his windows and flew into my nose. I breathed in deeply. I considered stopping by, but I figured books first, cake later. Usually its food over everything, but the librarian told me last time that they would receive a new shipment of books and it would come today. Francis' house is close to the village, so I decided to run the rest of the way.

The village streets was busy and crowded; I mean, it was a beautiful day! Only crazy people would spend their days inside on a day as clear and warm as this. Villagers I didn't even know waved to me and I greeted them back; why not, amirite? The smell floating from the bakery was intoxicating, and I couldn't help but go in the little shop. Damn, I should have stopped by Francis' house so I wouldn't be so tempted. Hell, I would have gone in anyway.

The door jingled as it opened, and it shut with a loud thunk behind me. The shop was empty, but soon I knew it would be filled with hungry customers. "Benvenuto! Oh, Alfred, hello! What would you like today? I just filled some cannolis." A bubbly Italian man popped out from behind the counter. He was covered in flour and butter, but his smile was still as vibrant as ever.

"Hello, Feliciano! Damn, the smell is amazingggg. You make the best breads in town!" I replied. Feliciano just giggled in response. All of a sudden, I heard a loud crash and yell come from the back.

"Che diavolo? Feliciano, come back here right now and clean up this mess!" Another man who looked exactly like him ran up to the counter from the back room, with a pissed expression on his face. He too was covered in flour. Feliciano squeaked, and ran out back to clean up the supposed mess. The second man sighed, and looked up at me. "Oh, Alfred, what would you like?" I pointed to the cannolis Feliciano was talking about and he gave them to me; Romano could be strict towards his brother sometimes but I knew he meant well.

"I guess I'll see you later Romano," I said with a mouthful of cannoli. Romano waved me away and I stepped out the door back onto the crowded road. I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned around. Feliciano was holding a basket, filled with freshly baked breads and pastries.

"Please drop this off at the blacksmith for me," he whispered. I nodded, trying to restrain myself from taking one of the muffins at that moment.

"FELI! CHE CAZZO, HOW DID YOU MAKE AN EVEN BIGGER MESS?!" Feliciano ran back inside, giggling. I guess I don't mind making more stops before the library. The blacksmith's shop wasn't too far; it was only across the street. I made my way, protecting the basket. I wasn't even in the shop, yet I could feel the heat from the huge fire slap my face. I walked in through the open doors, and saw two men; one was pounding away at a red-hot piece of iron while the other was chatting up some lady who was clearly not interested near the front where I was standing.

"Delivery from the bakery?" I asked both of them. The flirtatious albino immediately looked up at me and pushed the lady away.

"Hello, Alfred," the man said, looking at the basket the whole time. He began rubbing his hands together mischievously, licking his lips. Suddenly he was on the ground. "Hey! You don't just push people, Ludwig!"

"Verdammt bruder, leave him alone. Why don't you actually work for once. Hello Alfred, what can I do for you today?" I gave him the basket. "What's this?" He picked up a card that was inside the basket and read it. I read it earlier, it said "To Ludwig, From Feli" in fancy, girly, lettering.

"Your 'special' friend asked me to give you this," I whispered to him, and then gave him a wink. Even though the muscular blonde was covered in sweat and dirt I could see the blush forming on his flustered face.

"Wha-what are you talking about? Feliciano, uh, just gave me this in trade for fixing his sign. He's not a special friend," he stammered. I rolled my eyes and smirked. The love between the two was so obvious yet the only people who didn't seem to notice it was the two lovebirds themselves. Dude the kid drew hearts around your name on the card, how is he not your special friend he's fucking adorable. I waved goodbye just as the albino picked himself up and tried to woo more ladies.

Okay, the library next then the bar with Francis. Luckily, on my way to the library, I didn't have any more distractions. I opened the door and heard the bell jingle as I walked into the dark and musty building.

**Sorry if this was way too long I just wanted to introduce more characters ;-; please leave reviews and I'll try to post later this week! Sorry if my translations are not perfect don't hate me**

Translations (in order):

mon amor-my love

petit bebe- small baby

mon papillon- my butterfly

ma boulette- my dumpling

Benvenuto- Welcome

Che diavolo- Da hell?

CHE CAZZO- what the fuck!

Verdammt- God dammit


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello! Looks like some people didn't like the first chapter. Sorry I guess. I know I'm not the best at writing, but I try my hardest. Let's get this show on the road!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia or Beauty and the Beast**

I took in a deep breath, and closed my eyes. I loved the smell of books, especially if they are old. The scent of the deteriorating pages and worn out bindings just made me more excited about being there. I opened my eyes and welcomed the sight before me. The shelves were filled and they occupied so much space that I had to try really hard not to push one of them down, on accident of course. In the corner of the small shop was a crowded desk, stacked with returned books and paper scribbled with late fees. I began to browse the history section; I read most of these already, but it's always nice to go back to one you like, ya know? All of a sudden someone popped out from behind the desk. "Ah! Alfred-san, I didn't hear you come in, my apologies. Please, make yourself comfortable. I'm so embarrassed; please excuse my rudeness for not welcoming you", Kiku the librarian said quickly with a reddened face.

"Hey Kiku, it's not a problem. Do you have those new books? Last week you said they would be shipped in today." I began to imagine the new novels. _Maybe more mystery? Oh, but horror is great too, even though they freak me the fuck out, but no way am I gonna tell people that. _

Kiku gasped, and blushed furiously, if that was even possible with his already dark face. He began to stutter incomprehensible words, but then bowed down sharply. "Alfred-san, I am very sorry! The shipment got delayed and would not come in a few more days, I know how much you were expecting those books! Please forgive me!"

"Look dude it's okay, it's not a big deal," I replied. I tried not to show my disappointment though; I didn't want to make Kiku feel worse. "Look, I'll just check out this one right here." I pulled out one of my favorites - _The Knight and the Lion. _

"But you already read that book so many times, aren't you bored of it?"

"I know I have, but it's awesome! I could never get bored of a story like this." Kiku didn't say anything in return, but I could sense that he was shrugging on the inside. I walked to his messy desk and placed the book on the top of the mountain of papers. Usually Kiku was very organized and neat, but for some reason when it is work related he gets stressed easily and makes a mess out of things. As I waited for him to check out, an orange tabby walked by and brushed up against my leg. I knew that Kiku loved animals, and this wasn't his only cat. "You coming to the bar later?"

Kiku nodded. "I will close up shop first. Thank you for your regular visits Alfred-san."

"No problem man! See you later." I waved goodbye to him and headed towards the tavern.

The sunset was beautiful; purple, orange, and red intertwined and mingled perfectly to create a dazzling sight. I couldn't help but stare for a while. _If I could draw I would totally capture this moment. _I pulled myself away from the view and opened the door.

The tavern was full of loud people and laughter filled my ears. I didn't see Francis, so I sat down at the bar. I ordered a whiskey on the rocks, and the bartender set it down by my hand. I looked around the bar, looking at all the people having fun.

People were singing and dancing. One man was telling a riveting story, and a crowd of people surrounded him. The cabin style walls was brightened by the oil lamps and huge fireplace, making the room nice and warm. In one of the booths, I saw Feliciano and Ludwig sitting close together. The smaller man was telling him a story of some sort with great excitement while the bigger man quietly listened. I caught Feliciano placing his hand on top of Ludwigs, and I could tell from even where I was sitting that Ludwig tensed. He blushed, but relaxed and tightened his grip around Feliciano's. They smiled at each other warmly, but all of a sudden Gilbert sat right next to Feliciano, squeezing the confused man in between him and Ludwig. Ludwig glared at Gilbert, but the albino was so drunk he didn't notice. I smirked, and looked at the next table. Lovino was also looking at them, but instead of smiling at the sight like I was, he scowled and downed his beer. I knew that Lovino didn't approve of the relationship between his brother and Ludwig; he often called Ludwig "potato bastard" to his face. Once he threatened Feliciano that if he did not stop seeing Ludwig, he would quit his job at the bakery, but obviously we all can see how that turned out.

"_Chéri! _I'm sorry I am so late!" Francis plopped down to the seat next to mine, and ordered a glass of red wine.

"Whatever, it's not a big deal. Hey, what's the deal with Lovino anyway? I know that he doesn't like Ludwig, but his constant gloomy state is bringing me down," I offered as a conversation starter.

Francis sighed. "Oh Alfred, I thought you knew! Well, I guess you wouldn't because it happened when you were still very small." He swiveled his chair to face Lovino and I did the same; Lovino now had his head against the table, mumbling to himself. "Lovino used to have someone, like how Feliciano has Ludwig. The man's name was Antonio; he used to own the food market in town. My, I remember how cute the _les tourtereaux _were! Lovino hated showing his feelings to Antonio in public, but I know that they loved each other very much. Antonio was such a nice, honest guy and cared about everyone." He sipped his wine, and his happy facial expression turned into a serious one. "A couple years ago, I think it was three, Antonio was delivering some groceries outside of town, but he never returned. We sent out a search party for him, but alas, there was no sign of the Spanish man. Lovino became very depressed for a long time. He is better now, but he is always angry." _I guess he is jealous of Feliciano and Ludwig._

Lovino was now yelling at the bartender. "Hurry up! This glass isn't gonna refill itself." He was about to fall out of his chair from being so drunk.

Francis turned back around towards the bar and drank the rest of his wine. "Now, let's not get too sad tonight! Drink up, there is no work tomorrow!" The bartender filled up his glass again. I realized that I didn't even touch my drink. I pulled out the book from my satchel and set it on the counter.

"Huh, what is that?" Francis asked, looking puzzled.

"It's only the best book ever! It's about this knight who rescues this princess from a mean lion, but in the end he learns that the lion was actually lonely and wanted a friend so the knight decided to become friends with the lion. Like, total plot twist ever, right!" I turned towards Francis, but he wasn't sitting next to me anymore; he was now also in the booth next to Ludwig, squishing everybody. I rolled my eyes and began reading my book. _Chapter 1… _

**1 hour later**

_Chapter 6… The lion looked at the knight with kind eyes, much different than the knight was used to. The knight- _I could hear something in the background. I tried to keep reading, but the muffling sound kept growing. I groaned and forced myself to look up.

"Alfred-san, have you been listening to me?" Kiku asked, with an annoyed look on his face.

"Huh? How long have you been here?" Kiku rolled his eyes. He took a sip of his sake.

"I have been talking to you for the past 5 minutes."

"Oh sorry dude," I said as I closed my book. "What time is it?" I looked at the grandfather clock next to me. _11:56. _"Holy shit! I have to get going!" I quickly packed up my book and put the satchel around me.

"Alfred-san, it is not that late, please, have another drink with me. I'll pay." I considered accepting his offer, but Kiku drunk is not a thing I want to deal with right now.

"S-sorry, I have to go, ya know, check on the animals and stuff." _No way in hell am I admitting that I think the dark is scary. _Kiku just nodded and I headed out back towards the cottage.

**Switching to 3rd person**

Francis sat down next to Kiku, taking Alfred's old spot. "Hello, Francis-san. We have not spoken for some time; we should meet up soon," Kiku offered. Francis just nodded; his drunken state could barely comprehend what Kiku said.

He pulled Kiku to a booth where the others sat. Feliciano was passed out against Ludwig, who was arguing with Gilbert about which German beer was the best. Lovino at some point moved tables and now sat next to Gilbert, sobbing with his head on the table, mumbling nonsense. Francis forced Ludwig to move over so he and Kiku could sit down. Kiku noticed that the booth was over capacity at this point, but he did not say anything.

"Hey Kiku, why did Alfred leave already? It's funny when he gets drunk," asked Francis.

"I am not so sure, he said that he had to leave to check on his animals, but I think that is not true," Kiku suggested.

"Ah, Alfred would be so much cuter if he didn't have his head stuck in a book all of the time, I mean he doesn't seem so smart; what is a book gonna do for him anyway?" Francis slurred.

**Back to Alfred**

_Dammit, I should have took an oil lamp from the bar with me. The dark is so scary! _It didn't help that it was cold and windy. _Ugh, I also should have taken a coat with me this morning; f u past me. _I could barely see what was before me. Luckily, I knew the path back home by heart.

The wind started to whistle by my ears. The goosebumps started from my lower back, and crawled up to my neck. I tried to bury myself in the thin shirt I was wearing, but no such luck. The leaves cracked and snapped everywhere, not just at my step. I could hear my breathing get heavy, and I tried to walk faster. My heartbeat sounded like drums, and the beat was getting more intense. I started to run.

I heard something snap. I froze, almost tripping on the rock in front of me. I began to panic.

"Wh-who's there?" I said into the darkness. Nothing replied. I took a deep breath in. _No! I will not show fear to whatever is out there. Stay strong._ I gulped, and kept walking at a fast pace.

I finally could see the cottage. I sighed and skipped across the bridge. I speed-walked to the barn, making sure the animals are okay. All the animals were sleeping, so I went back to the cottage. Before I could open the door, the sound of galloping stopped me. I turned around, and saw Arthur's horse, Philippe, looking frantic and scared.

"Philippe, what are you doing here? Arthur isn't supposed to be back yet, wait, where is he?" I tried to calm him down, but he wouldn't stop whining. Arthur would never let Philippe out of his sight, so why wasn't he here? Unless…

"Philippe, did Arthur get hurt?" Of course I knew he couldn't respond, but it was as if he understood me at the moment. He neighed loudly, and tried to lead me back to the forest. I gulped, then sighed. I mounted him and grasped at the reins. "Lead me to him." He started to gallop. _Please be okay, Arthur._

**Sorry it took me so long to write this. Next chapter will be out after Columbus Day most likely :D**

Translations:

_Chéri- _Darling

_les tourtereaux- _Lovebirds


	4. Chapter 4

**I just want to thank sasunar13 :D your comments give me life and they warm my heart whenever I read them! They encourage me to keep working on this story 3 now imma get a move on**

**Arthur's POV**

(Few hours earlier…)

_Did I leave the kettle on? I totally left the kettle on. Blast! _I breathed in deeply, then let it out with a loud sigh. I never really liked delivering the harvest to the city; it was so far and when I got there I never had a good experience. People are too loud and rude there, nothing like the calm countryside in which I live in. Plus, I always worry about Alfred. I know he is already an adult, but I can't help but wonder about his well-being. _Hmm, I wonder if he would enjoy a book about-_

Philippe came to a stop. I snapped out of my daydream and looked at what was ahead of me. We have seemed to stop at a 4-way path. Fortunately, there were signs right in the middle that pointed to each path. Unfortunately, they were illegible. I closed my eyes and rubbed my temples. _Bloody hell, I don't remember having to take a different path last time. _I sighed, and studied the signs. I immediately narrowed my choices to 2 paths because the other two led towards west and east, and I know I needed to head north.

On my left, the sign seemed new; the sun shined on the leaves warmly that laid on the path and seemed welcoming. The birds were chirping and the squirrels played with each other gayly. On the other hand, the sign to the right looked worn down and rotten. Dead trees lined the beaten path, and I could hear caws emitted from the crows in the distance; the fog rising up from the ground was suspicious and left an eerie aura.

"I'm pretty sure we have to go right, Philippe." I snapped the reins and tried to turn him towards the right path. Philippe neighed loudly, and tried to pull us toward the left. "Barmy! I think I know where we are going, and me being wrong is not blooming likely." I tugged on the reins toward the right and finally Philippe gave in. He began to trot slowly into the dark woods.

The sound of the owls' hoot emerged from within the dying branches. The dim fogged caressed the wagon and wrapped around Philippe's ankles. I looked around, taking note of every rock and twig we pass. "We don't want to get lost coming back, now do we old chap?" I chuckled nervously. _Ok maybe we should have went on the left path. _I coughed, and tried to bury myself deeper into my thin coat. _How long have we been on this path? It couldn't have been more than an hour._ It was getting darker every second it seemed like though. Through the thick branches I finally caught a glimpse of the sky. Through the small opening, I spied a glimmer of the stars that scattered the onyx sky.

I began to worry. _Shouldn't we be at the city by now? I can't believe I was such a dimwit for going this way. _Philippe stopped in his tracks. I slapped the reins, trying to urge him to move forward. This isn't the best time to stop. The air coming out of my horse's nose was protruding out at a faster pace.

Then I sensed it too. Something was watching us from within the darkness. _Do not let it see you are scared. _The thing began to rustle in the leaves, but I heard it on the other side of me as well. Philippe's breathing seemed to quicken at the same time as mine. My sweat was freezing as it glided down my heated face. I glanced to my right. The stars let down a stream of light down the trees, and it landed on a pair of angry, golden eyes. I whipped my head to my left, and I saw at least 4 more pairs staring right at us. Philippe started to walk, very, very, slowly while I kept my eyes locked on to the biggest pair of eyes. To our luck, we began to move away from their sight.

CRACK. The wagon wheel snapped a twig beneath us, and I let out a groan mentally. The pupils in the other's eyes dilated, and it let out a howl. All of the predators began to sprint at us with an amazing speed. I whipped the reins, and Philippe got the message. He galloped as fast as his aging legs could take him. The wagon bounced and creaked at each rock we hit, but at this moment I could not be fagged at the durability of the wagon.

The wolves were nipping at the sides of the wagon, and they were getting close to Philippe's legs. I could sense the panic rising from him. _Please, PLEASE, stay calm. _It didn't help that the path was now at the side of a cliff. I could tell that the wagon was beginning to get heavy for Phillipe as we escalated up the hill, but I had a plan. A bad plan, but a plan.

I slowly got up from my seat, with the reins still in my hands. I shifted the reins so that I had my right hand free. I pulled out my swiss army knife that Basch Zwingli gave to me, and flicked out the small knife. I jumped with great force, and with absolute luck I landed on Philippe's back. He neighed, but thank god he didn't stop running. I adjusted myself as quickly as possible, and I sliced the harness off of him. The wagon started to slide down the hill, and it took a few of the wolves with it. Unfortunately, 3 wolves still were at our heels. _Okay, what now. _Philippe was definitely running faster, but I knew that the wolves were gonna corner us at the top of the hill. I looked to my side. _Well, it's not too far down. _I know it was a stupid decision, but I still did it anyway.

I don't know how we survived. Well, I'm not sure about Philippe. When I opened my eyes, Philippe was gone. I prayed that the wolves didn't get him. I got up from the ground. _How did I survive the fall? The cliff must be at least 10 meters. _Thats when I realized that I landed on a pile of snow. In fact, the ground and trees were covered in a thick, white blanket. _What the hell?! It's still August!_

I wiped the snow off of me and tried to find a path. The only 'path' I found was a clearing without any trees in it. I kept walking through the clearing, hoping to find shelter of some sort, even if it was a cave.

It began to snow, and soon it was hard to see. I shoved my hands in my pockets, and looked down to protect my eyes from being blinded. Soon enough, the wind was pushing me back. I kept walking with all my might, but I got tired quickly. My legs gave up. I knelt in the snow beneath me. _I guess this is it. I'm sorry Francis for rejecting your declaration of love and I'm sorry Alfred for forcing you to drink tea even though I knew you didn't like it. _I sighed, and I closed my eyes.

Did I fall asleep? I don't know, but I opened my eyes to what seemed like a second later. The wind had stopped blowing. I brought my head up, and my eyes widened.

There was a castle, and I was kneeling in front of the gate. _How did I not seen this? _I stood up, and stumbled to the tall, iron gate. I was about to pull it open, when I sensed something was off.

The gate was rusted, and the deteriorating lock looks like it hasn't been touched in months, years perhaps. Through the bars I could see the snow covered front garden. It was an impressive garden, but even through the whiteness I could see that it was unkempt and untouched. The castle walls was covered in never-ending vines, and the statues that decorated the estate were broken and creepily staring at nothingness. The windows were murky and the curtains were pulled in, not letting any light through. _It looks abandoned… so that means no one would mind if I stayed the night. _I pulled at the gate with all my might, and the lock snapped in half to my luck. I shut the gate behind me, and ran with the energy I had left to the front door.

I raised my fist to bang the door open, but it slowly creaked open on its own. I stepped inside, and the door closed behind me. The front room was and impressive sight, even though it was dark. The white marble floor glistened, and the red velvet carpet cushioned my every step. A wide, winding staircase descended into two staircases that led both left and right in front of me. The walls were covered in beautiful paintings, and knight's armour lined the walls. I took another step forward, but all of a sudden my shadow appeared on one of the paintings. I spun around to face toward the light.

There was a short, shaking man holding a courting candle. The light glistened against his dark blue eyes and reflected off of his maroon suit. "Crikey! I didn't realize that anybody lived here! My horse ran away and I need a place to stay. Will you let me-" Arthur was cut off by the bang the candle made when it hit the ground. The candle blew out, and the shorter man stood there shaking, just staring at him.

"H-how did you get here? You s-should go, right now, it is not safe here-" the small man mumbled quietly but quickly.

"Raivas! What was the noise? Why are you standing here in the dark? Ah, there is a candle on the ground, now, let me light this," another deep voice said. The light was flicked back on, and it showed a tall brunette in a purple coat. His glasses magnified his violet eyes, which were staring right at me. He looked just as surprised as the smaller man, Raivas, I guess, but he didn't vocalize it.

"Who are you? How did you get here? What do you want from us?" The man suddenly lashed questions at me.

"My name is Arthur Kirkland. I was traveling to the city when my horse and I were attacked by wolves. I got separated from my horse, and I found this castle and I hope to stay the night, if that is okay," I said confidently. The brunette just looked at me, then glanced at Raivas. Raivas looked at him, then looked at me. _Are they communicating telepathically? Can I stay or not-_

"Come with me, Mr. Kirkland, quickly now," The brunette suddenly said. Without hesitating I followed him into a room on the left, with Raivis behind me. "My name is Roderich Edelstien, and this is Raivis Galante."

"Are you the owner of the castle, Roderich?" I asked, with an impressed tone in my voice.

"No, I work here; so does Raivis."

"... Will I meet the owner?"

Roderich didn't say anything. I would like to have something else fill up the hall, not just the light from the candle. We turned into a different room; it looked like a den of some sort. I walked in and Roderich closed the door behind me.

The den was a comfortable, medium size room with mauve carpeting and navy walls; it was no where near as big as the foyer, but unlike that room this one had a big fireplace. I sat down at the cushioned arm chair right in front of the fire and relaxed. Roderich threw some logs into the fireplace, and lit a match which he also threw into the pit; it glowed with a fiery light, and brightened the room. The newfound warmth calmed me, but it also made me feel very drowsy. Roderich called for another person to come, I think he said Elizabeta?

A young women with long, flowing brown hair and an olive colored dress ran into the room. I heard her gasp and turn towards where Roderich was standing, but she didn't say anything. In a drawer next to the fire, she pulled out a wool blanket, and handed it to me. I only smiled, to which she smiled back. My eyelids were heavy; they were about to close when-

The door slammed open, causing the fire to blow out; my eyes no longer felt heavy. I could hear the others scurry away, near the back wall. I could hear them tremble; the vibrations ran across the carpet and hit me. I held my breath, and sat completely still.

"I didn't know we had a guest! Now Roderich, why didn't you tell me?" a deep, heavily accented voice said. I did not like the tone; it sounded threatening even though the words were supposed to mean well.

"Sir, we thought you were asleep, we didn't want to disturb you-"

"Ah, but isn't it the Prince's duty to greet all guests when they arrive? Isn't that right, Elizabeta?" The girl did not reply. The Prince chuckled, and I could hear him starting to walk. The beads of sweat that lined my forehead were growing and speeding down the side of my face. He was dragging something; I could hear it, and it sounded heavy. I closed my eyes and swallowed.

But he wasn't walking towards me. In fact, the footsteps were walking towards where the servants were standing. "Now, which one of you let him in without telling me? Hmm? Or am I gonna have to figure it out myself?" I could hear the calm seriousness in his voice. He slapped whatever he was holding in the palm of his opposite hand.

No one said anything. All of a sudden, I heard the thick _thud _of one of them being hit with the weapon. Elizabeta let out a scream, and the victim groaned loudly. I was furiously shaking at that point, to the point where the chair itself was moving. Another _thud _filled the air, and this time the victim didn't make a noise. I couldn't help but let out a gasp.

There was no sound. _Did he leave? I guess this is a good time to make a run for it. _I ever so slowly turned my head to the left.

He was staring at me. He was crouched down, so that when I turned, his nose was almost touching mine. That wasn't the creepiest part though; the most unsettling this about this whole messed up situation that I got myself into was that he was smiling. A small little grin was plastered on his face as he just looked at me.

"I believe that is my chair, незнакомец." He stood up straight, but he lashed out his arm, and grabbed my neck. I started to choke, but he didn't let go or even loosen his grip. "I think I know exactly where you can stay." He proceeded to lift me up out of the chair, and drag me down out to the hallway. We passed the servants; Raivis was unconscious on the floor while Elizabeta rocked him with tears in her eyes. Roderich stared at me with emotionless eyes.

This monster of a man never let go of my neck. It was getting harder for me to breathe. I clawed at his grip, but his gloved hand didn't receive any damage. We finally came to a stop. He finally dropped me on the ground, and I gasped for air. He pushed open a large wooden door, and on the other side was a dark stone staircase that led deep down into what I can only assume was the dungeon .

With one swift kick, I was tumbling down the stairs. He kept kicking me down until we reached the bottom. I curled up on the cold, hard ground and coughed. He took his time walking over to me, and I finally saw what his weapon of choice was. It was a metal pipe. _Oh my god is that blood-_

"Your room is behind you. I hope you enjoy it." I turned around; it was a one of the cells out of many that lined against the wall.

"I-I don't understand. Why are you doing this to me?" I managed to cough out.

"Do not sit in another man's chair." And with that, it was suddenly dark.

**Omfg this was so long. I'm sorry if it seemed like a filler chapter; I needed to introduce more characters and their personalities. The next chapter will be out later this week mmkay **

незнакомец- stranger


	5. Chapter 5

**OK sorry that this is a little late; school has been sucking recently and I didn't have time to focus on writing. **

My eyes wouldn't focus, even with my glasses on. Philippe was galloping very fast, but I didn't mind; we needed to find Arthur as soon as possible. _Jesus, Arthur, where are you? _Philippe continued to run deeper into the woods and it seemed like we were moving fast but the light the stars were giving off was darkening even faster. I closed my eyes and let Philippe lead the way; he seemed to know where he was going in this darkness. _Okay, I just have to calm down. He has been gone for a while before; this is no different. _

A gust of wind pushed me, almost causing me to lose my balance but I grasped at the reins and held on to them tightly. I gasped at what I suddenly saw: there was snow on the path and it littered the trees. There was definitely something fishy going on here…

The snow began to get deeper, and it was also getting colder. I sniffled and wiped my nose with the back of my hand. Philippe came to a stop, and begin to stomp loudly, showing that this was the final destination. I jumped off of him, and while holding on to the reins I lead him to the gate. It was already pushed open, with a cracked lock laying a couple feet away. _Looks like Arthur was here. _It creaked open easily, and I followed the footprints leading towards the front door. I tied Philippe to a broken statue that lay near the front, and I let myself in.

Even though the foyer was impressive, I didn't have time to stop and observe. "Hello, is anybody here?" I called out, but nobody answered. I started to walk towards a door on the left…

**3rd person POV**

"Toris, look! There is another one!" Elizabeta whispered as she pulled him behind a column so that they hid from the young man's view. They both stared at the man wandering around, obviously not knowing which direction he should head in.

"Why are all these people coming suddenly? The castle seems crowded now…"

"Toris, only two people came. But don't you see? This man could be the one who will break this wretched curse! Oh, just imagine _flowers-_" Elizabeta didn't even finish her sentence, she was too excited. As the stranger was looking in the opposite direction, Elizabeta grabbed Toris' arm and sneaked towards the dungeon, opening the door with a loud creak. Alfred whipped his head back towards the open door. "Hello? Is somebody there? I need some help, my friend is missing." He began towards the door.

**Alfred POV**

I ran to the open door, which I knew wasn't open before. Did this person not hear me? I walked through and descended the staircase. On my way down I grabbed a torch that was on the wall, and it helped my not trip on my way down. The staircase led me to a dimly lit basement that had many doors with iron bars. The place looked deserted and untouched. "He-hello? Is somebody in here?" I managed to let out. _Jesus, a ghost better not pop out. _

"A-Alfred? Is that you?" A scratchy voice whispered. A bruised arm grew from within the iron bars of the first door. I ran towards the limb and grabbed it's weak hand.

"Arthur! Oh my god, what happened to you! We have to let you out, oh my god your hand is so cold," I frantically started to look for any sort of key or crowbar, just anything to knock the door down, but I couldn't find anything

"Alfred, please," Arthur let out a nasty cough. "You have to leave now, it dangerous here. There is no time to explain," he said weakly.

I looked at him with worry, just wishing there was a way for him to come out. The light that lit up Arthur's face suddenly went dark, and I felt a firm grip on my shoulder. Arthur paled, and the grip threw me back which caused me to throw my torch into a puddle. "Who's there? Please let this man out, he's just an old guy who can't take care of himself," I offered as an excuse, only to have the back of my head slapped by an annoyed Arthur.

From the shadows I could see a figure, but it was unclear on what they looked like. "I am the owner of this castle," it said with a monotone voice. It was unclear on what the emotion behind his words were.

"Arthur is sick, he could die here, please let him out! He needs to get laid again at least once before he dies." Another slap on the back of my head, harder this time.

"Then Arthur shouldn't have trespassed here. He is my prisoner now until he perishes." The rather large figure now headed towards the stairs.

I had to think quickly. "Wa-wait! I, um, I will take his place." _Oh god did that just slip out of my mouth I am gonna regret this forever holy shit Arthur you better get laid so many times for this._

The figure stopped abruptly, and turned towards me. "You… would do that for him?" He sounded like he was dumbfounded.

"If you let him go, I will stay," I said with more confidence this time, standing up so that we met eye to eye.

The figure walked closer to the small amount of light that a hole in the ceiling was giving off. I could see him better, but he was still standing in the shadows.

"Okay, but in return you have to stay in the castle forever, and promise never to leave," the man said hesitantly, as if he wasn't sure of my response.

I was about to respond, but honestly the whole standing in the shadows while talking to me was giving me an uncomfortable vibe. "Come into the light, what are you, a vampire?" I chuckled quietly, trying my best to lighten the mood. He stood silently for a second, but ever so slowly he walked closer, his boots creating a deep, loud thud with each step. He finally stepped into the light.

This man was huge, not in a woah-he's-so-fat way but in a oh-my-god-this-man-is-a-giant kind of way. His tan coat looked dense and it covered his whole body, as if he was hiding something under there. The most unusual thing about him though was the long scarf that wrapped around his neck; it almost reached the ground. Part of the scarf covered his mouth, so I didn't know if he was smiling or not. _Probably not. _His blonde hair was so light it almost looked grey. The violent eyes stared me down, as if he was also observing me. But the evil aura emitting from him made me cringe so hard I fell back, looking away from his gaze. I sighed, and walked towards him, keeping my head down.

"Yeah, you have my word." I stuffed my hands in my pockets, and shuffled my feet. _Dammit, why can't I look at him? _

"Great!" The sudden outburst from him surprised me, and the large man pushed past me and opened the door to the cell. He grabbed Arthur by the collar and began to drag him out of the dungeon.

"Wait! Alfred!" The man wouldn't stop and he continued dragging him away. I ran upstairs and looked out a dusty window only to see him being thrown into an old carriage. I pressed my ear to the glass and I could hear part of their conversation.

"-please don't hurt him," gasped Arthur.

"He is no longer your concern!" The man closed the door harshly. "Raivis! Drop this man off as far as… the snow will allow you."

"Yes sir, right away sir." A short little man/boy appeared out of nowhere and pulled out two dark stallions and tied them to the carriage. He handled the horses and the carriage as if he was in a great deal of pain but trying to hide it. He got on his seat slowly and whipped the reins. They started to gallop away from the estate. I couldn't help but drop my head into my hands and let out a sob. _Arthur you better come back damn you. _I looked back outside and he was gone from my view. The man turned around and started to walk back, but as if he knew that I was watching him, he looked towards me. I let out a girly squeal and closed the curtain, rushing back down to the dungeon.

**3rd Person POV**

Before than man went back inside, he glanced up at his castle. The vines were now beginning to cover the windows. _I guess I'll get Toris to take care of this, but what is the point. _He looked at one of the windows that weren't yet strangled by the vines, but he saw a curtain close quickly. He sighed, and shuffled back inside before it started to snow again. He stomped his boots and the snow began to melt in the carpet. "Elizabeta, remind me to tell Toris that the vines need to be taken care of." Elizabeta couldn't help but recoil at the words "need to be taken care of"; it reminded her of some of master's angry moments.

"Yes, of course sir. Your, uh, guest is still downstairs." Her boss nodded and walked towards the dungeon. Elizabeta frowned, and went to go tell the others about their new guest.

Toris didn't know what to do. This whole time he has been standing by the dungeon door and now his boss was walking toward him. The man was about to walk down when Toris said, "Um, sir, since he will be staying for a while, maybe you should give him a, um, more comfortable room." The man just stared back, glaring at him intensely. "Or not, your choice."

**Alfred POV**

The cell Arthur in (which was now mine) was cold and dark; the only sort of mattress was a pile of hay. I sat in the farthest corner with my knees pulled up to my chest. I sat in silence. I hated that I accepted my fate so quickly. Why didn't I fight for Arthur? Why am I… just so weak. I pressed my cheek against my knee, and faced the stone wall.

The door opened slowly, and a wave of light flooded the room. A dark shadow was cast over the man's face, but I could tell that he was not in a very good mood.

I was suddenly filled with indignation, and I stood up quickly and faced the man. "Why didn't you let me say goodbye?!" I turned away from him, hiding the sadness creeping up on my face. "Now I can't ever seem him again." I could hear the man shuffling around, and he forcefully coughed. _Was… he nervous? For what?_

"Come with me to your new room," he said with an emotionless tone out of nowhere.

I turned quickly and faced him. "But, I thought," I couldn't finish because suddenly his eyes grew darker and his eyebrows furrowed.

"Do you want to stay in here or not." I just stared at him, befuddled. I shook my head quickly, and we walked back upstairs into the foyer.

**Hmm this is going at a slower pace than I thought. Whatever. Sorry if it's kinda confusing switching between 1st person and 3rd person, I just want to get everybody POV. On to the next chapter...**


	6. Chapter 6

**School sucks. Time to immerse myself into the world of fanfiction ;)**

_Thunk. Thunk. Thunk. _The sound of his boots filled up the hallways eerily. He led me up the dungeon stairs, and back to the main foyer. He was always paces in front of me, but it's not like I minded. We said nothing, but the questions ran through my mind like a hurricane. _Why did you hurt Arthur? Why is it snowing when it's August? Who ARE you? _But this isn't the right time for questions like that. Technically, I am his prisoner but then why would he let me have an actual room instead of a cell like Arthur? Ugh, this whole thing is making me so uncomfortable and nervous. _Just what will happen to me?_

Two of the servants were standing by the stairs; a pretty lady with a flower in her hair was talking in hush tones with a serious looking brown haired man in a green suit. They faced each other, but when they noticed us walking towards them, they disbanded and faced towards the man leading me. The serious one bowed while the lady curtsied. The man didn't say anything in response; he barely looked at them yet the servants were trembling. We headed up the stairs and the servants followed us quietly. I couldn't help but stare at the "decorations" the littered the halls; dusty paintings and scary statues stared back as we walked slowly past them.

One painting caught my eye. It was huge; it reached from the floor to the ceiling. The frames were made out of gold, but it needed to be polished badly. The painting was covered in such a thick layer of dust that it was hard to see the subjects, but I still knew what it was. There were three people facing towards me; two girls standing in the front and one man sitting in between them. The girl on the left was very pretty; she wore a purple and white dress and a big white bow sat on top of her long blonde hair. She had a scowl on her face though; I guess it was too difficult for the artist to make her smile. The girl on the left was dressed much less formal; she wore a white shirt and green overalls; a white headband adorned her short hair. What was hilarious though was her HUGE boobs; they were practically resting on the chair in front of her. I stifled a laugh. _The artist didn't seem to have a hard time painting those. _The last subject in the painting was the man sitting in front of them, but I couldn't help but let out a gasp. The man who I have been following was the main subject! He wore the same tan coat and scarf, and in this painting he had a small smile.

**Quick 3rd person POV**

"Sir, it seems as if your guest has stopped following…" Toris finally caught up to the man and had to catch his breath. His boss turned around and noticed that Alfred was staring at the painting. He couldn't help but twitch at his nosiness. "Um, maybe say something? You guys can't be silent forever… ha..ha," Toris offered. The man only looked at him, and gave him a smile. Toris shuddered.

**Back to 1st**

In the corner of my eye I could see the man servant talking to the scary one, but I paid no attention. What I did pay attention to was the label at the bottom. It read:

_The Royal Bloodline:_

_Natalya Arlovskaya- 3rd in Line (no blood relation)_

_Katyusha Braginskaya- 2nd in Line _

_Ivan Braginsky- 1st in Line_

I choked on my own tongue. _Wait, wtf this dude is the prince? I didn't even know we had a prince… oh my god is he legally allowed to behead me? His sisters are hot I wonder where they are. No, now is not a good time to think about that. Just how much authority does he have? _I straightened up, and looked towards where Ivan was standing. But he wasn't there anymore; instead, he was right in front of me, centimeters away from nose-to-nose contact. I let out a rather girly yelp and fumbled backwards, but I finally got to look at his face. To my surprise he was smiling, just like in the painting. But his eyes, they scared me. They bore into me with no emotion. He just stared with his little smile, and turned back around to the direction we were heading in. His butler motioned me to follow. We continued to walk deeper into the castle halls until he finally broke the silence.

"I hope you like it here. This is your home now, too." I shuddered at the word 'home'. "You can go anywhere but the west wing, it is запрещено, forbidden."

"But, why is it-" I started to ask, but he stopped in his tracks, and I almost bumped into him. He didn't turn around or say anything, but the aura around us was deathly, so I decided to drop it. He continued walking. _Jesus how long can one hall be. _We finally stopped in front a room. He opened the door and pushed it open. He stood out in the hall, letting me walk in.

The room was dark, and looked like it has been unused for a very long time. It contained a canopy bed and bedside table, a dresser with a mirror, and a fireplace. The maid from before rushed in and began to dust the room. I heard the butler clear his throat, and Ivan spoke up.

"You WILL join me for dinner, and that is not a request," he calmly stated. Before I could even object he slammed the door behind me. I tried to pull the handle, but it seemed to be locked from the outside. I yanked on it with all my might, but it wouldn't budge. I stood back, and stared at my feet.

I had to admit, it was hard keeping a straight face this whole time. I thought I was gonna crack he when wouldn't answer my question about the west wing, but I couldn't keep up the act anymore. I brought my hand to my face, and choked out a sob. I wobbled back so that when my legs hit the bed, I collapsed on to it. I took off my glasses and let the tears slide down my face. They tasted salty. I wanted to bawl and cry and whine but I had to keep it in. _I AM a man. I won't let this get to me. _But it had gotten to me. The idea of being stuck with this sociopath scared the crap out of me and I didn't know what to do.

The sound of a plank of wood got me out of the depressing trance. I sat right back up. I had totally forgotten that the maid was in the room with me; she was by the fireplace now. _Dammit, I can't believe I let her witness my weak side. _She seemed to be struggling making the fire light. I put my glasses back on and walked over to her, making sure to wipe my eyes from any tears. "Hey, you don't have to do this for me."

She began to protest, but I grabbed the wood from her and placed it in the fireplace. I grabbed the matches and threw it into the fire as well, and the fire was lit. It began to glow very slowly.

"I had to do this almost everyday since I was little, I'm pretty good at it." On the other hand, the maid seemed like she had no experience with this kind of thing. I guess it wasn't her usual duty. "My name is Alfred, what is yours?"

She beamed at the question. "My name is Elizabeta."

"So Liz, is that okay?" She nodded. "... the Ivan guy seems to be like a complete dick."

She chuckled, probably more than it was necessary, but it seemed like to be the first time she had laughed in a long time, so I didn't mention anything. "Is living here as horrible as I think it is?"

Her laughing died down, and she looked into the fire, which now rose to a great height in the fireplace. "I want to say that… before all of this happened, he was a nice guy, but he wasn't. In fact, it was his attitude towards things that got us into this mess." I had no idea what she was talking about, but I didn't question it. An ember flickered out, and it landed near me. "The other servants and I have been here for a very long time. The servant you saw earlier, his name is Toris. He is Ivan's favorite, so he listens to what he has to say more than us. You probably saw a small man?" I nodded. "His name is Raivis. He get's picked on a lot by Ivan because of his short stature, but Raivis blames his height on Ivan because he always presses down on his head. Another butler who lives here with us is Roderich." She sighed at his name. "He purpose is supposed to be Ivan's entertainment; he plays the piano and paints for him, but he has regular butler duties as well. Don't tell Ivan this, but he is also my boyfriend. We were supposed to get married a while ago, but… something got in the way." I thought she was gonna continue, but she had this sort of a sad look in her eyes so I didn't push her.

She coughed, and stood up quickly. She brushed off her apron and adjusted her flower. She gave me a quick smile, and hurriedly walked towards a big closet. "So, let's see what we have in here! I'm sure we have some suits that don't have moth holes in them," she said as she pushed around the clothes; I saw puffs of dust fly into the air. "Aha! So, should we go with brown or blue? I can easily tailor them… "

I stood up and rolled my eyes. "I'm not going to that damn dinner; who does he think he is?! Just because he is the prince doesn't mean I'm gonna like him instantly." I let out a loud huff and crossed my arms. I know that was a bit childish but I was trying to make a point.

She gave me a worried look, and slowly set down the suits on the bed. "Alfred, I know he isn't the most… approachable person, but if you gave him a chance than maybe…" She didn't finish her sentence.

"No way! And what's with his creepy smile? Ugh, I'm shuddering just thinking about it."

She let out a sigh. "If you feel that way. I will leave you now, but I recommend not exploring the castle tonight." I just nodded, and she pulled out a key and unlocked herself. She closed the door quietly behind her. _Not like I was gonna leave the room anyways; I don't want to run into that creep anymore than I have to. _

**Ughhhh I feel like this was so short, but I didn't want to continue or it''ll get deeper into the plot and get TOO long. C U l8tr **


	7. Chapter 7

"Has anyone seen Arthur or Alfred? They have been gone for a while…"

"Kiku, the last time we saw them was two days ago."

"But Francis-san, they are always around. Isn't it a little suspicious that we haven't even heard from them?"

"Oui, you are quite right." They both drank at the counter. Everybody was once again at the tavern, yet nobody else seemed to acknowledge the disappearance of the two blondes, which was a surprise since they were always loud and often attracted attention anywhere they went.

"Ahh, you made me think of the little blonde. Why must he always reject my smooth and charming words? Does he not realize how much pain he gives me? But yet, he is all I can think about, ma belle, even if he does have two fat caterpillars on his face instead of eyebrows." He motioned for the bartender to refill his glass with more of the crimson liquid. Kiku was about to comment about how Arthur clearly was not interested in the frenchman, but Francis continued on with his tale of the one-sided romance.

"It's impossible to resist a man like _moi_! My silky hair and beautiful face makes anyone fall to their knees, does it not?" This time Kiku did not bother trying to comment, and looked at the others sitting back at the old booth. Ludwig and Gilbert seem to be having an angry, animated conversation. Ludwig held his composure, but it was clear that he wanted to strangle his older brother.

"You're little boy toy is quite cute, eh? I vouldn't mind tapping that, if you don't mind. I'm SURE Feliciano vouldn't mind; I mean, vould you be able to resist ze awesome meh?" Gilbert began to pick his teeth with his overgrown pinky nail. It looked like Ludwig's vein on his neck was about to pop out of his skin.

"Yes, I VOULD be able to resist you, _arschloch_. Don't you dare lay a hand on him, or I swear-" Gilbert laughed loudly, interrupting Ludwig's threat and beckoned the barmaid for another round of beer.

Kiku looked at the people sitting to his left. Feliciano was talking to his brother and this time Lovino was no longer weeping. It seemed as if Feliciano was trying to give him some sort of advice. Unfortunately, it was clear that the bubbly Italian has already downed a couple of drinks. "Lovino! You should not be so angryyy all the time. You should be happyyyy like me! You know what you need? A nice, big, bowl of fresh pasta," he hiccuped loudly. "I am positive that you will feel much better!" He slumped over the counter and continued to hiccup.

"Like I haven't tried that already," Lovino spat. He chugged his beer and slammed it down on the counter.

"Ve? I'm sorry but I have no other advice." He left his mug next to Lovino and skipped (and tripped a little) all the way to the German booth, but his intoxicated state made him fall right on top of Gilbert's lap. While Gilbert welcomed the giggly Italian, Ludwig had to do deep breaths that Kiku had taught him so that he wasn't tempted to rip his brother's head off.

The door slammed open loudly, and the strong gust of wind blew out the candle lamps. The room hushed quickly, and stared at he door to see what caused the darkness."SOMEBODY, PLEASE HELP!" Arthur stumbled in, dropping to his knees. Francis ran over to the shaking man.

"_Mon Dieu_! What has happened to you?!" Francis cradled the trembling Brit in his arms. Arthur was covered in bruises, and seemed more pale than one would think was possible. Francis picked him up by the shoulders, and they walked to the fireplace. The people sitting on the sofas around the fire moved so that could sit down, and Francis placed Arthur so that he was sitting right in the middle. A crowd gathered to hear the explanation of his sudden outburst.

"Arthur-san, what are you so frightened about?" Kiku pondered.

"It's Alfred, we have to go help him!" Arthur yelled with crazed eyes. Everyone looked at each other with confusion.

"What happened to him?" A voice in the back asked.

"He, he, was taken prisoner, and it's all my fault. That bloody git…" Arthur dropped head into his hands and began to shake. A small rumble of chatter and whispering began to fill the room.

Francis gasped, and sat himself next to the sobbing man and cradled him again. The British man didn't pull away much to Francis' surprise. Francis began to rub circles on his back. "There, there. Do you know who the wretched kidnapper is?" _How dare someone hurt his cheri_!

Arthur pulled away, and Francis longed for the smaller body against his again, but didn't say anything. This was not a good time for romance.

"This, this, beast," Arthur spat. "Is huge, much bigger than any of us in this room, maybe even the village. He is the scariest thing anyone could ever meet; the thing that makes this creature scary is his damn face. Don't get tricked by his friendly smile, because he WILL end up consuming your soul. He tortures his prisoners, makes them feel such a great deal of pain that anything else inflicted on them will be nothing compared to what this beast did. He looms around quietly, you won't even know he is standing right behind, and once you do realize it's too late; you will already be dead." The room shuddered in unison. Kiku couldn't even imagine what this horrible beast could look like, and his face paled.

Shouts began to fill the room. "Maybe it was a bear? Veeee Ludwig, I'm scared!" There was a grunt, and it sounded like it came from a man who was just tackled by a shorter one and pulled into a bone-crushing hug.

"Puhlease, nothing could scare ze awesome me. Don't vorry Feli, I vill protect you."

"Bruder, shut up. Feliciano, stay here."

"DON'T YOU TOUCH HIM, POTATO BASTARD."

"Everyone! BE QUIET!" Francis suddenly yelled. He didn't want his poor Arthur to become more overwhelmed than he already was. "Continue, _cheri_."

"I think I know who it was, too. It… it…." Everyone leaned in. It was silent for a couple seconds, but it felt like hours.

"Well, spit it out already tea bastard!"

"... it was the prince." Somehow the room became more silent than it was before, if that is even possible. People began to murmur and give each other looks.

"Um… Arthur…are you sure?" Francis asked quietly. "You do remember that the royal family died? Three years ago? I even remember the messenger coming to town-"

Arthur stood up and scowled at Francis. "Of course I remember, frog! I'm not that old! But I know what I saw, and the prince was standing right in front of me! He gave me these bruises!" He furiously pointed to the purple marks. People started to laugh, and the crowd dispersed. They retreated back to their own tables and someone re-lit the lamps, and the room went back to it originally was.

"He's crazy."

"Probably fell and hit his head."

"Made a ruckus for nothing."

The Brit was baffled. "But… I know what I saw." He turned to Francis, who was standing behind him. "You, believe me, right?" Francis gave him a smile, but his eyes were sad. Arthur immediately recognized this look; pity.

"Arthur, I'll take you home." Arthur didn't resist, but he did catch the look of pity on others too.

The walk home was silent. Arthur wished that Francis would say something, even if it was a pervy pick up line. He would rather listen to that than having Francis judging him silently. The thought made him shudder in disgust. The wind howled past his ears, and caused Arthur to shiver even more. Francis walked closer to him and wrapped his arm around his shoulders, rubbing Arthur slightly.

They finally reached Arthur's home. Arthur contemplated on if he should invite the other man in or not. If they waited any longer than the silence in between them would most definitely become awkward. Francis gently grabbed Arthur's hands, and looked in his eyes.

"You know, this kind of feels like the ending to a first date. How about you give me a little kiss as my goodbye?" Arthur pulled his hands away and crossed his arms. He tried to scowl, but after what has happened that night he didn't have the energy to do so.

Arthur looked up at Francis and sighed. "You know I'm not crazy right? I know what I saw…" He tried to be confident, but his voice just kept getting smaller. Francis brought his hand up to his cheek, and much to his surprise Arthur leaned into it, closing his eyes slowly. Francis' heart started to beat like crazy, but he resisted kissing the man right then and there. It was not a good time for romancing. Perhaps when Arthur wasn't so sad...

"Arthur, ma douce Arthur, I am sure Alfred will come home soon. He probably got lost in these woods, but after reading all those camping books I'm sure he'll be fine." Arthur pulled away and started walking up the stairs. Francis reached out to grab his shoulder; he wanted to comfort him so bad but he couldn't think of anything to say.

"Good night, Francis."

"Bonne nuit." Francis left when Arthur finally closed the front door behind him. Even though he has been able to handle Arthur's suspicious 'magic' and his tea addiction, he didn't have the heart to tell the younger man that he didn't believe in him.

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry that I haven't posted in a long time! I had major writers block and I didn't enjoy that this was mostly a filler chapter... at least the FRUK relationship progressed... ;-; so uninspired right now so please expect the next chapter to be posted not for a while... sorry friends<strong>

Translations (In order):

ma belle- my beautiful

arschloch- asshole

Mon Dieu!- My God!

cheri- Darling

Ma douce- my sweet

bonne nuit- good night


	8. Chapter 8

**OK, I got some explaining to do. I know that Austria and Hungary were never under control by Russia and it should be Estonia instead, but I really wanted to include the AusHun ship somehow and I'm not really sure how to depict Estonia… hes chill and stuff but I thought it wouldn't be a big deal if he wasn't in the story… I'll probably include him somehow. ALSO (sorry for long A/N) Im turning this back into T ****FOR NOW****; I realized it would take a while for the 'fun' stuff to happen haha please bear with me omg**

**Disclamer: (wow I can't believe I have been forgetting to put these) I do not own Beauty and the Beast or Hetalia~**

The wind didn't look like it was gonna stop howling any time soon. I pressed my hand on the glass, and it was so cold that it burned my skin until it was numb. My breath created a small cloud, but it quickly disappeared, revealing the bright blanket of snow. The fireplace was well stocked with wood, but the room still felt cold. Outside my window, I could see a marble fountain sitting in the middle of my garden. Even in the dark, I could see the statue clearly. The moon reflected across the three tiers, and a woman that sat on top. She was propped up with one hand, and looked out into the distance. It seemed like water was supposed to flow out of her outstretched hand, but nothing came out; the water was frozen on the bottom tier. She was starting to be buried by the snow. I wanted to dig her out, rescue her, but she was stuck and I couldn't do anything about it. Even when the snow would melt away, she will always be frozen in place.

A knock interrupted my thoughts. I adjusted my glasses and made my way to the door. I was about to turn the knob when I remembered that the door was locked. I sighed as my hand dropped uselessly down to my side. "Come in."

Liz rolled in a small cart and stopped in front of my bed. The short man, Raivis, walked in behind her. On the cart was a teapot with a few cups and jars. "Would you like a cup?" I nodded even though I hated tea; my throat was parched. _When was the last time I drank something? _She gestured to the sugar, and I nodded again. Anything to hide the gross taste. Raivis cleared his throat. For a second I thought he also wanted a cup, but instead he started talking.

"Er, Elizabeta has informed me that you do not want to attend tonight's dinner. I really hope you would reconsider, I assure you that it will suit your tastes," he started hesitantly. I let out a rather unattractive snort and swallowed the tea without tasting it.

"Yeah, no way. I would rather starve than go eat with that freak." I caught Raivis and Liz glancing at each other, and suddenly I wondered if I made the right choice.

"PLEASE! Um, I mean, I do not think that Ivan would be too happy…" He sounded like he was begging at this point. I shifted my weight awkwardly. Why was it such a big deal that I ate with him tonight?

"I don't know… I'm not really hungry, which is weird, because Arthur always said I had a never-ending stomach. One time when I was little I ate the whole harvest, and then Arthur got really mad at me because we had to eat pickled gross stuff for the rest of the season," I rambled. I really hope that they didn't catch the nervous tone I was trying to hide.

Liz bit the inside of her lip, but she grabbed on to the cart and with her other hand grabbed Raivis by the elbow. "Raivis, it is clear that our guest would like to rest. Good night, Alfred." She quickly rolled away with Raivis at her heels. The door shut loudly behind them, but I didn't hear her lock the door. I let out a big sigh. I laid back down on the bed, and faced the window. I felt kind of bad for refusing dinner, after they went through the trouble of cooking it and inviting me again. But what was the big deal? I'm not in the mood to face my 'kidnapper', isn't that normal? I took off my glasses and folded them. I let them rest in my palm, and turned to stare at the ceiling. My eyelids felt heavy, and finally I let them close.

**3rd Person POV**

The wind slammed against the windows and caused them to shudder. The fire crackled and snapped like it has never before. The constant _tick _of the grandfather clock could annoy anybody within seconds. Yet the loudest thing was the tense silence in between everybody in the room.

Ivan sat leaned back in the chair at the head of the table, with his head leaning in one palm while tapping the table with the other. Elizabeta, Raivis, and Roderich stood by the fireplace side-by-side, waiting patiently in silence. Ivan kept switching positions, from clasping his hands together to leaning back with arms dropped to his sides. He wouldn't have acted so antsy if he wasn't sitting in a chair for an hour.

Finally, Ivan had enough. _He _was the prince! _He _shouldn't have to wait for anybody. He stood up so fast that the table before him shook. The servants tensed and look straight ahead, not daring to make eye contact. Ivan trudged slowly towards them with his hands behind his back. Raivis couldn't help but start shaking. Ivan's calmness just proved that the painful future he is imagining would be inevitable. Fortunately for Raivis, he didn't stop in front of him. Unfortunately for Elizabeta, he stopped and stood right in front of the trembling girl.

"Elizabeta," he purred. He brought up one of his hands and slowly caressed her face. Raivis couldn't see but Roderich was clenching his fists so hard that his nails broke the skin and he was trickling blood. "I thought, no, I did tell you to bring him down, da? So, where is he? I have not been sitting here for the past hour for nothing." His hand stopped at her cheek, but before she could respond, he swiftly grabbed ahold of her long hair and yanked on it. Elizabeta cried out and crumbled to the floor. Roderich whipped around from his spot but before he could grab Ivan by the neck, Toris walked into the room and stopped him.

"Sir! I think you should be more patient with Alfred! I mean, he just lost his father AND his freedom all in one day…" Toris made himself shut up before he could say anything else. Ivan let go of her hair, and turned towards Toris. Taking his chance, Roderich strutted over to Elizabeta and picked up the shivering girl. With Ivan calmed down, Raivis said, "Have you thought that maybe… Alfred could be the one to break the spell?"

Ivan gave him a complete 'are you serious' look. "Of course I have, you foolish short man," he sneered. Deciding not to let the insult affect him, Raivis continued.

"Well, all you gotta do is fall in love with her, then she will fall in love with you. Then poof! Everything will be back to normal by midnight!" Raivis tried to sound confident, but he couldn't help but let his voice crack at the end.

Toris let out a big sigh. "It's not that easy, Raivis. These things take time, longer than a day."

"But the rose has already begun to wilt!"

Ivan groaned and rubbed his face. He leaned back into his chair and took a swig out of his vodka bottle. The food was untouched and was beginning to grow cold. "What's the point. He's just… and I'm so... " He groaned again and chugged his poison. The servants swapped glances. _Brutal? Evil? Dangerous? Cruel? _

Roderich finally spoke up. "Well, you have to help him see past all of… that." He walked over to where Ivan was sitting. Ivan eyed him, but he put down the bottle. He motioned for Roderich to keep speaking. "You have to sit up straight and act like a gentleman." Ivan stood up and Raivis slyly took the vodka away. Ravis took this moment to walk out of the room and towards Alfred's.

"Give him your most dashing smile!" Elizabeta said, her head now less sore. Ivan gave his trademark creepy smile, and everyone shuddered. "Now don't frighten the poor boy. Impress her with your wit!"

"But be gentle!"

"Shower her with compliments!"

"But be sincere." Ivan looked at all the servants as they shouted advice to him. He couldn't take in all the new information at once.

"But above all, you must control your temper!" He shot a glance at whoever said that.

The doorknob shook and silence filled the room. Everyone stared at the door in anticipation. The servants ran back to their spots by the fireplace. The servants also noted that Ivan was having a staring contest with the door knob, and who would win depends on who walks in the room.

Raivis walked timidly into the room. "Um, hi." Everybody groaned and Ivan glared daggers at him. Looks like the door knob won this round.

"Well, is his coming?" Everyone turned to him again.

"Well, um, you see, I went up earlier with Elizabeta and, er, I went up again, and, eh, under the circumstances, he isn't really, uh, how do you say it." He sighed and looked at anything besides Ivan. "He isn't coming."

Ivan roared and pushed Raivis away. He stormed up to Alfred's room with the others trailing behind him.

"Sir, please! Remember what we said!"

"Don't hurt him!"

Ivan stopped in front of the door and pressed his ear against the wood. He couldn't hear anything. He hesitated, but he brought up his hand and started to bang on the door. The servants didn't say anything and they watched this happen. Ivan could hear shuffling behind the door and he stopped "knocking". _Control your temper_.

"I thought I told you to come to dinner." Immediately, he heard Alfred respond.

"I'm not hungry!" Alfred yelled back.

"If you don't come out, I'll break down the door." Well, there goes his temper. He heard the servants groan. He grabbed for the pipe hiding in his coat pocket.

"Sir, why don't you try _pretending_ to be a gentleman?" offered Toris. Ivan didn't even look behind him; instead, he placed the pipe against the door handle. Of course, he could easily just unlock the door but he felt that he needed to show his 'authority'.

"Why would I do that when he is being so difficult," Ivan responded, now preparing his aim.

"Uh, why don't you try being even more gentle?" Ivan scrunched up his nose, but he put away his pipe. He turned towards the door and cleared his throat.

"Will you, _please_, come down to dinner?" Ivan tried. His voice trembled over 'please', since he was so unused to saying such polite things.

"No!" Alfred quickly yelled back. Ivan groaned loudly. He reached for the pipe again.

"Sir! Try again!"

Ivan glared at everybody before facing towards the door again. "It would be _my pleasure _if you accompanied me to dinner tonight, _please._" Ivan had to resist the temptation of breaking down the door once again. There wasn't a response. The servants thought that Alfred was reconsidering.

"No, thank you!" Elizabeta facepalmed at the polite decline. Ivan gave up trying to be polite. He whipped out pipe and crashed it against the door handle.

"You can't stay in there forever!" His voice calm out calm but his thrashing showed that he was pissed.

"Yes I can, you freak!" Ivan finally stopped hitting the door handle and looked at his work. It was bent so much you wouldn't have been able to tell what it was in the first place.

"Fine. You would be happier starving to death than eat with me, da? Then that is what shall happen," Ivan stepped back from the door and turns towards the servants. "If he doesn't eat with me, then he doesn't eat at all." He started walking away. The servants exchanged glances and sighed. It wasn't exactly what they were hoping but it was better than Ivan beating the crap out of Alfred.

They began to follow their master down the stairs in silence. All of a sudden, Ivan quickly whipped around and ran back towards the room, pushing the servants out of the way. He brought the pipe out again and slammed it against the wood so hard that it went threw. Alfred screamed and ran to the corner of the room so Ivan wouldn't be able to see him. Ivan yanked the pipe out of the door and marveled at his masterpiece. He created a hole that was a good half foot tall and wide. Ivan calmly put the pipe back into his coat and walked back towards his own room. The servants dropped his jaw at him as he walked past but he didn't acknowledge him. When he left earshot distance, Toris spoke.

"Well, that didn't go very well at all. Elizabeta, stand watch and make sure he doesn't leave his room. The rest of you, come with me to clean up the dining room." The rest of the servants obeyed and they followed him in silence as Elizabeta marched and stood guard.

**I feel really bad that this was so late... **


	9. Chapter 9

**Snow day= more time to write :) Omg so a couple days ago I had a dream where I was browsing netflix and I saw this movie and IT WAS A FUCKING RUSAME SLASH ahhh so I watched it and it was about Alfred and Ivan who were on the university of alabama football team and for some reason Alfred was sad so Ivan decided to comfort him and they did the naughty~**

**anyways happy early thanksgiving everyone!**

**Disclamer: I dont own anything...**

Ivan stormed off to his own room, leaving his servants behind to watch him stomp away. He opened his door with such ferocity that it cracked when it slammed against the wall. He stared into his room- it was a huge mess. Broken furniture littered the ground, and ripped sheets and curtains lined his bed and walls. Dust created a thin film on everything, and Ivan was sure that he was developing a dust allergy. He closed his eyes, and stood as still as he could. _Breathe in, breathe out. _His hands clenched into tight fists, and he wished he could break something with his beloved pipe. Unfortunately, he had nothing else in his room to break.

He counted to thirty, and opened his eyes again. It front of him was the damn sunflower, staring at him, almost mockingly. "What do you want," he spat. _Your unhappiness, _it seemed to respond. Ivan let out a growl, and stomped over to the small table which held the glowing plant. He brought out his trusty ol' pipe and swung at the transparent case. Right before metal collided with glass, he stopped himself. Another petal slowly ripped itself from the base of the flower and glided downwards, gently kissing the tabletop. His fingers let go of the pipe, and Ivan strode to the other side of the table.

His gaze caught on to a mirror. He recalled that when the witch left, she not only left him the flower but this mirror as well. Until recently, he was confused of its purpose besides being a regular mirror. Then one day, when he wondering out loud if the servants were doing their chores, it showed him that they were. He was shocked, but he quickly figured that he can use it to his advantage. He picked it up and stared at his reflection. Veins popped out of his neck, and reddened cheeks stuck out compared to his pallor. Stroking the decorative edging around the reflective glass, he choked out a whisper. "Show me him."

The mirror shook and let out a green bolt of electricity. His own reflection turned into Alfred's room. The blonde man currently had his arm through the hole that Ivan created earlier. With a determined look on his face, he flung out his hand in search of the door handle. He let out a groan occasionally, but his eyes widened with glee when he finally reached the handle. Ivan knew that he would have no such luck opening the door; even though the handle was busted, the door would still be locked. Alfred tugged, pulled, twisted, and even punched the handle, but it wouldn't budge. Alfred froze when he heard footsteps coming towards the door. Ivan leaned in, surprised at what he heard; he specifically told the servants that Alfred was to starve in his room.

Alfred pulled his arm back and looked through the hole. All of a sudden, another face popped into view from the other side. Elizabeta looked at him emotionlessly. It looked like she wanted to say something, but she remained quiet.

"Liz! Were you out there the whole time?! Did you not see my arm flailing around?" Alfred exasperated.

Elizabeta brought her finger to her lips and shushed. In a hush tone, she responded, "Yes, I saw you and your arm. I didn't say anything because I am supposed to be on guard, making sure you don't come out."

Alfred sighed and shook his head. He looked up into the hole with a look that Ivan was sure was his attempt at a 'smolder'. "Come on. Please? Come onnn. I'll do anything."

Elizabeta was unaffected by his 'smolder', but she did respond. "Okay, why don't you give Master a chance? He is… uh… a nice guy once you get to know him. He just wants to be, hmm, a good host. Yeah, that's what he wants to be."

Alfred recoiled and crinkled his nose. He was oblivious to Elizabeta's hesitation. "How about no. I don't WANT to get to know him. I don't want to have anything to do with him. Did you see what he did to my door? I'm not taking the chance of that happening to me. If he wants to be a good host, then maybe he shouldn't go and threaten people like it's not a problem."

Ivan frowned and calmly placed the mirror back on the table. _What am I thinking. He only sees me as a monster. It's hopeless. _He sighed, and in the corner of his eye he saw a wooden chair that had yet to be broken into mere splinters. He picked up his pipe, and slowly walked towards it.

**1st person**

After my little outburst, Liz left me alone and continued her guarding. I sighed, and slid down the door until I was sitting on the ground. I didn't even care what time it was anymore; I knew it was way past midnight. The whole 'Ivan banging on my door and threatening to kill me' thing woke me up but my eyelids felt heavy again. The room was boring; there wasn't even a bookshelf. I tried to resist the temptation of sleep, but my eyelids closed again. My head slumped forward; it felt like it weighed a ton. I was about to succumb to sleep when my stomach shook and shivered. It let out a loud growl, no doubt even Liz heard it through the wall. I instinctively brought my hands down to cover my stomach. _Damn, I could go for a burger right now. Hell, I'll even eat a salad if I had to. _It also reminded me about thirst. The tea didn't really count; I barely had a sip. Sweat broke out on my forehead as I started to panic. _Was he serious about starving me? No way he can just kill me like it's not a big deal… _I was sure this was one of the worst ways to die- having your body consume you from the inside out. I shook the thought out of my head. "Dying is not on my to-do list, nope, not today." I'm not weak, and no way in hell am I gonna just sit here and drown myself in self-pity.

I picked myself up and stared at the to grab the handle didn't work, and asking for Liz for help wouldn't do any good either (what a traitor, I thought we were friends). I looked around the bland room to see if anything would be proven beneficial to my escape attempt. I locked my gaze on to a fire poker that leaned against the fireplace. I quickly swooped it up and twirled it in my hands, trying to come up with any plan.

The first thing I thought of was bashing the door until the hole was big enough so that I could just crawl out. _But what if it makes too much noise?_ The servants, or worse, Ivan, would come and stop me. Quickly shaking the thought out of my head, I walked closer to the door and examined it. I twisted the door knob, and shook it a little too. It wouldn't budge, but I knew that already. I gripped the poker in my hands. _What if… I just hit it off?_ _Then what if the handle popped off, and I was still locked in? But the lock might break... _I swallowed, the sound of my gulp filled the air. The grandfather clock ticked behind me, growing louder every second I didn't move. _Well, I guess its now or never. _With all the strength I could muster up, I swung at the handle like a lumberjack chops at wood with an axe. The ear-piercing sound of metal-on-metal rang in my ears, but it didn't fall off. I thwacked at it a couple more times, becoming increasingly more deaf at each hit. Finally, the handle fell off and fell with a loud thud on the ground. I dropped the poker and rubbed my ears, trying to regain my ability to hear. When my ears weren't so sore, I tried to push the door forward, but it wouldn't move.

My heart stopped for a second. The only escape attempt that seemed logical didn't work. _But if Ivan was doing slamming the handle, then it must work… _I wouldn't give up. There was always a way in the end. Bracing myself, I slammed my shoulder into the door. It hurt like a bitch, but the door shook a little. I continued bashing the door. My shoulder was incredibly sore, but finally I heard the lock budge, then snap. All of a sudden, the door flung open and I fell on my ass.

I groaned and rubbed my sore body. I expected Liz to start lecturing me, but there was nobody else in the hallway. I got up and started to walk in the darkness.

**3rd person**

"Oh Roderich, not now," said Elizabeta, but made no sign of resisting Roderich's embrace. They stood in the dark hallway, encaptured by the velvet curtain which hid them from any suspicious eyes.

"Elizabeta, I don't remember the last time I held you like this," Roderich purred in her ear. Elizabeta blushed- Roderich was always so tense and strict, so when he relaxed and said such things, it really excited her. He held her tighter and began trailing soft kisses across her neck.

"Ah, don't be silly, we always meet at night-" Roderich silenced her with his lips. Tongues enwrapped each other in a heated frenzy.

"Let's move somewhere more comfortable, more private," suggested Roderich in a quiet yet alluring whisper. Elizabeta was about to agree when out of the corner of her eye, she caught Alfred walking past them; it seemed that he did not realize that the two servants were getting hot and heavy in the middle of the hallway.

"Wait, Roderich, I'll meet you in your room later." She pushed the taller man off of her and ran after Alfred.

"Where did Roderich go? He should be helping us clean up," Raivis mentioned scrubbing dishes as quickly as he could.

"I'm not sure Raivis, I was certain he was here a minute ago," Toris replied. Their miniscule conversation did not continue after that. Even though they have known each other for many years, they didn't know each other very well. A still silence filled the air. Toris was used to such silence, as not much action happened in the castle.

"I think that he was being stubborn. He still refused even after Master said please, which he must have known was difficult for him to do." Raivis said abruptly.

Toris looked at him for a second, then shook his head. "All Ivan needs to do is control his temper. Then maybe… Ivan would be more approachable." They both knew that even when Ivan was calm, he still had this eerie aura that made him uncomfortable to be around; it was even more suspicious when he was trying to be nice. They both shuddered at the thought. A timid knock on the door behind them interrupted their conversation. Alfred stepped into the kitchen, and Elizabeta quickly came in after him. Toris ignored the fact that he wasn't supposed to leave his room. "Ah, Alfred, nice to see you. It's quite late- do you need something?"

Alfred never really liked asking for things. He didn't like the feeling of needing someone else. He swallowed his pride and asked anyway. "Yeah, sorry for bothering you but do you have any leftovers? I'm so hungry I could eat a horse."

"Did you hear that guys? He's hungry!" exclaimed Elizabeta. She whipped out some silver utensils from the drawers. Raivis gathered up the freshly washed dishes and set them on the table located inside the kitchen.

"Remember what Ivan said…" Toris said meekly.

"Oh shut up Toris, we have to feed the poor boy. He has had a long day." Elizabeta said as she placed a fork down. At that moment Roderich reappeared.

"Elizabeta, I thought you said you would- oh, hello everyone. Why is everyone up?"

"Roderich, help me set up the rest of the table," asked Elizabeta. He nodded, and proceeded to get napkins.

Toris sighed into his hands. "Okay, he can have some water and some soup, that's it."

"Now, Toris, don't be so stingy. We must make him feel welcomed! Come, Alfred, sit at the table." Alfred obeyed Elizabeta and sat down at the head of the table, and watched the servants hurriedly moving around the kitchen.

"Fine, but we must keep it down, we can't have Ivan come down and-" Toris was cut off by Elizabeta, once again.

"Antonio! Whip up something hot and fresh!" Alfred couldn't help but think back to when he was talking with Francis at the tavern. Didn't he say something about a guy named Antonio? And how he was friends or something like that with Lovino? All off a sudden, a friendly-looking, green-eyed man popped out from behind what must have been a pantry. "I'll make some delicious paella. Your name is Alfred, sí? I heard so much about you," said Antonio cheerfully. Alfred hoped Antonio didn't hear anything bad about him; the last thing he wanted was the servants talking behind his back.

"What would you like to drink? Tea? Coffee? Water?" asked Raivis.

"Coffee, thanks." Out of nowhere it seemed like Alfred was dying of thirst. His mouth watered at the idea of eating again. Raivis came back with a steaming hot pot of coffee and a ceramic mug and poured some in. He gestured to the sugar and milk containers, which Alfred shook his head to. Once Raivis walked away, Alfred gulped the coffee even as it scorched his throat. Suddenly, a light and beautiful noise filled the air. Alfred looked around him, but couldn't find the source.

"Oh, that's just Roderich playing the piano; Ivan likes it when he plays during meals, so its just a habit of his," explained Elizabeta. Alfred didn't mind; he wasn't much of a fan of classical music but he never heard the piano playing so majestically before. It seemed that Toris DID mine though. Alfred heard him mumble about Roderich 'playing too loudly' and 'wake up a certain someone'.

Antonio came to the table with a big pan. Whatever was in there smelled great to Alfred, and his mouth started to water again. He never had paella before, but it seemed tasty. Using a big spoon, Antonio scooped up the colorful concoction of mussels, shrimp, rice, and as well as other delicious foodstuffs. He grabbed his spoon and was about to pile the steaming food into his mouth when he noticed the servants just standing by the table, staring at him. He cleared his throat, uncomfortable with all their gazes on him. "Um… you can sit down with me if you guys want…" _Anything than just standing there, that's awkward as fuck._

The servants exchanged glances, but they did sit down at the table with him. They were never allowed to sit with Ivan during dinner. Hell, they weren't even allowed to stand in the room with him; he only called them in when he was finished.

They sat in silence, which made Alfred reconsider if asking them to sit with him made the whole situation any less awkward. He decided that this was a good time to make small talk. "So, Antonio, where are you from?" Alfred wanted to question the Spaniard to see if he was who Alfred thought he was.

"Oh, I'm from the town on the other side of the forest. _Sabes que_?"

"Oh, dude, I'm from there too! What a small world. How did you end up here?" Alfred was glad that Antonio was the same Antonio as the one Francis was talking about, but he couldn't imagine him being with a cranky guy like Lovino; he was too nice and _happy _compared to the italian man.

Antonio cleared his throat uncomfortably. He leaned in to the table and clasped his hands. "Well, a long time ago, I was delivering groceries to some _personas ancianas_- poor them, so old that they can't leave their house- that lived on the edge of the forest. Once I dropped off the food, my wagon wheel unhinged and broke. I guess I got lost trying to find the village, because I ended up finding the castle. Haha, _que tonto!" _he laughed, but he didn't sound particularly happy. It sounded as if someone told him to laugh, but that person was also holding a gun to his head. "Anyway, they needed a cook and they assumed that I could cook since I was carrying food on me. I needed the job anyway- I wanted to expand my store." He paused. The tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Alfred assumed that he didn't want to say anymore, so he started to talk.

"You were, uh, with Lovino, right?" Antonio immediately brightened at his name. "He's a little sad that you aren't around, but his bakery is doing fine. Everyone is doing okay." He relaxed, and leaned back into his chair

"I'm glad, thank you for telling me." Alfred looked at the others sitting with him. They all seemed to be relaxed. At one point Roderich had joined them, and he and Elizabeta were having their own conversation. Even Toris visibly relaxed, and he and Raivis struck up some small talk. Alfred was very glad that everyone was happy, even if it was for the moment. _Maybe living here won't be so bad. _Antonio continued to ask him about everyone at the village, and Alfred happily answered his questions.

Eventually Alfred finished his very late dinner after a third helping, and the servants started to clean up. "Hey, is it okay if I look around?" asked Alfred. After a big meal and talking to everyone, he was too awake to go to bed. Elizabeta nodded, but Toris nudged her. He mumbled something about 'can't sneak around'. "Toris, I'm sure you know everything there is to know about the castle, and I want only the best to give me a tour," exclaimed Alfred. He knew when to butter up people at the best times.

"Oh, sure, of course." replied Toris. Elizabeta rolled her eyes as Roderich whisked her away in the direction of his bedroom.

Toris led Alfred to many of the long hallways in the castle. "... as you can see, these high ceilings were designed by a very traditional artist, and he was influenced by the Victorian era. Using wood paneling he…" Alfred was captivated by the beautifully detailed tapestries and shining knights' armour that lined the halls, and he appreciated Toris showing him around but _damn_, can that man drone on and on. At one point Toris stopped to observe a painting and was explaining the significance, but he hadn't noticed that Alfred was no longer with him. Toris turned around when he asked for Alfred's opinion but received no response. He found Alfred walking up the main stairs, toward the forbidden West Wing.

"Wait! You can't go up there! The West Wing is prohibited," Toris ran and stopped right in front of Alfred before he could take another step.

"Ohhhh, so THAT'S where it is. Why is it forbidden?" asked Alfred.

"Uh, well, it's not like he is hiding anything…"

"Then why can't I go see it?" Alfred pushed past him and continued up the stairs. Toris skipped steps to catch up and stopped him again.

"Why don't we go see some more tapestries? Or the library?" offered Toris, who was now visibly shaking.

"Woah woah, wait one sec. You have a library?"

"Of course! Follow me this way," Toris started walking down the stairs, blabbering more facts about the library. He was clearly relieved that Alfred no longer taken interest in going up towards the West Wing, or so it seemed. Alfred waited until Toris was out of his sight, then he continued his mission of finding out whatever Ivan was hiding from him.

Translations:

Sabes que: You know which?

Personas ancianas: elderly folk

que tonto!: how stupid! or silly me! (sorry spanish speakers if this isn't the exact translation)

**LONG CHAPTER IS LONG. This literally took the whole day to write no jokes, but I was determined to write another chapter for you guys even if not much happens; its ironic because in the movie this happens in like the span of 3 min and its my longest chapter. I promise next chapter would have more exciting stuff! Most likely coming out later this week because of thanksgiving break. Also sorry if during the story the character seem ooc; I need them to act like the characters in Beauty and da Beast so it makes more sense….ALSO IDK WHY I KEEP SWITCHING FROM 1ST PERSON TO 3RD is it annoying and confusing? I feel like its eaisier to describe Alfred's mood when I write in 1st person for him but it's easier writing in 3rd for everybody else IDKKK sorry if it's annoying... :( anyway onwards my friends!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Bit later than I planned; then again, during this time I have been planning what will happen in the chapter :D BUT GET READY FOR SOME ACTION/ADVENTURE IN THIS SCENE SO EXCITE**

**Disclamer: I don't own shitt :(**

_Woah, this place is trashed. This is probably why Ivan doesn't want me up here. Fuck man, at least sweep once in a while. _The West Wing was cluttered; the paintings were ripped and the frames were snapped. Disturbing statues guarded the halls and stared me down, which sent shivers down my spine. The oil lamps that lined the hallway seemed to dim each step I took, and the consistent creaking underneath me didn't help me relax either. The carpet was worn down, and had a few suspicious stains. My throat grew scratchy as the air I breathed in seemed to get colder. As I walked further down, I swear the temperature went down a couple degrees. To my left was a mirror, standing out from the dark and creepy decor that hung on the walls. It was smashed; the tiny shards distorted my face and I swallowed nervously. _Maybe I should have stayed out… _

I was about to turn around when I came across a door. Unlike my own bedroom door, the dark mahogany loomed over me, and the brass handles glistened as the single lamp reflected off of it. _To go in, or to not go in; that is the question. _Looking to my left and to my right, I figured no one would know. It's not like I'm gonna steal anything, so why not? I pulled on the door with all my strength, and with a loud _creak _it opened slowly. If I thought that the hall was a chaotic, then I don't know what I saw before me.

I couldn't even see the ground; it was covered in broken furniture and ripped fabric. Ruined tapestries were draped in shreds across the walls and ceilings. Sliced paintings were everywhere. I couldn't help but go inside. I was careful not to step on anything, but it didn't really matter since everything was shattered anyway. Underneath a bunch of debris, I could make out a huge bed, but the sheets were untouched. Dead plants caught my eye; looks like he didn't bother watering them, but then again, why would he? The room in such state couldn't be fixed with a healthy fern. It was hard to make out everything in the room in the dark, so I walked over to the wall, and I placed my hand on it. Using the wall to guide me, I concluded that this room was much larger than my own. My hand stopped on a rather large painting, the canvas ripped from its frame. I was curious to see what it was; it looked like still-life of some sort. Carefully, I took the limp fabric and matched it up to its original spot in the painting. Suddenly, the wind rattled against the windows and startled me, causing the fabric to slip out of my hands. I marched towards the windows, and pulled the dusty curtains shut. In the corner of my eye, something glowed and gave off a warm sensation. _Huh, I don't remember a lamp being on… _I turned towards the source.

In the middle of all the litter and broken chairs, there stood a table with a single flower, encased in glass. "What the hell…" I ran over to the table, almost knocking it over. It glimmered and glistened; it gave off a pleasant golden glow, and I couldn't help but want to get closer to it. A few petals lay on the tabletop, but other wise it was as healthy as ever. I ignored the fact that it was floating in air, which was not possible; I wanted to hold it. Gently, I grabbed the glass case and I placed it aside. The flushed glow was even more powerful; the bright yellow of the petals and the deep brown of the seeds enchanted me. My hand seemed to reach out on its own and-

Was the room always this dark? I tore my eyes away from the captivating plant and looked in front of me. Ivan stood there, watching my every move. "Oh, hey… didn't see you there… he.. he... " I nervously chuckled as I pulled my hand back. He didn't laugh back. Instead of his attempt at a smile, he frowned, showing no sign of warmth. He strode between me and the table, pushing me away slightly. He quickly grabbed the glass case and covered the flower protectively, almost stroking it. He turned around still holding the glass. If eyes could shoot daggers, I would most certainly be dead right now. The room was silent, except for the wind howling. _I would much rather have daggers sticking in me than be here right now holy shit this is how I die. _

"Alfred…" he said in a condescending, dare I say, almost motherly, tone. "What are you doing here?" The corners of his mouth started to twitch. I couldn't tell if they were going up or going down; either way was not good. "I told you that you couldn't come here."

I could feel the pool of sweat dripping down my temple. _Yelling at me would be better than this calm bullshit. _I tried to assuage. "Look, dude, sorry for almost touching your flower thing, I didn't know it meant that much to you-" His eye started to twitch, so I shut my mouth.

"Ты идиот, I told you never to come here," he growled. _The russian is coming out, he's getting angry. _He stepped closer, so I stepped back. My hip jammed into the edge of a table, prohibiting from getting farther away from the bitter Russian.

"Look, I didn't mean any harm-" I stammered out, pushing the table out of my way. He continued coming closer, the dark glare still in his eyes.

"Do you realize what you could have done, comrade?" The fact that he said this in the most placid tone possibly made it that much scarier. He grabbed a vase sitting nearby and chucked it at my feet. I let out a manly yelp and jumped back.

"Oh my god, just calm down, I didn't touch the damn thing-" He was suddenly much closer, and he thus grabbed a broken chair leg laying nearby. Trapped by a dresser behind me, he leaned in close. I swear I thought my heart was gonna jump out of my chest as his lips were millimeters away from my ear. His breath grazed my ear, and I couldn't help but close my eyes to the surprisingly soothing sensation. We didn't say anything for a few seconds I was about to open my eyes when he finally spoke.

"You should get out now, da?" he whispered quietly, almost kindly. I ripped my eyes open and gasped. He pulled back and swung the wooden limb at me. With my ninja instincts I dove and ran; I heard the dresser crack as wood sideswiped with wood. I pushed the heavy door open and sprinted down the hall. As I shot away, I missed the instant look of regret that Ivan wore on his face as he dropped to his knees and watched me run away.

I sprinted down the stairs, almost tripping on my own feet. My cloak was hanging on the railing, so I grabbed it and quickly wrapped it around myself. I found Toris at the bottom of the stairs, and he gave me a confused look as I sped past him. "Alfred? Where are you going?"

"Uh, I'm getting out of this joint. See ya later." I clumsily tried to tie my cloak together as Toris clung to the fabric.

"But why!? And technically you can't…"

"I can't handle this shit anymore! Promise or no promise, I'm gonna bounce." I tugged the cloak from his grasp and dashed through the front door.

The rising sun would have blinded me if it wasn't for the blizzard whipping against my face. Luckily, I found Philippe in a nearby stable. He wasn't too happy about being woken up so abruptly, but I needed to leave now, and I could tell he could sense the urgency. I quickly saddled him and whipped the reins. He started to gallop pretty quickly as we bolted past the swinging gate. He could have gone much faster if it wasn't for the deep blanket of snow slowing him down. _Damn, was there this many trees before? _It seemed as if the empty branches were lashing out as us, trying to prevent us from leaving. It was getting difficult and tiring trying to steer Philippe through the thick thicket; I could tell that he was starting to get antsy.

I cracked the reins harder, but he didn't seem to notice. He continued to tramp slowly through the growing snow. He stepped on a rotting log, and it let out a loud _crack. _A bouquet of scared pheasants flew out of nowhere all of a sudden. Philippe freaked and reared up. I tried to calm him down, but he wouldn't stop bouncing and jumping. "Come on old boy, the birds left, let's get a move on," I pleaded. Even with all the noise Philippe was creating, I could make out the low growl coming from within the dark woods. _Fuck me. _A pack of wolves started to emerge from behind the trunks, staring us down. Philippe continued to thrash around, which was not helping either us. Finally, something in him made him realize that his life was on the line, so he quickly turned and galloped away.

The wolves were on our heals, even when Phillipe made sudden jumps and turns. I swear I thought that I one point he was gonna bounce me off of the seat. I gripped the reins, trying to steer us away but where ever we turned there were more golden eyes following us. One of the wolves was coming awfully close, jaws snapping away. I jerked the reins, forcing Philippe to crash into the wolf. The wolf ended up smashing against of the the trees, bringing down another wolf with it. _Aww yiss 1 point for Alfred 0 for wolves. _Unfortunately, the rest didn't seem so undetermined to continue its hunt.

All of a sudden there was a clearing, which was kind of suspicious but that was not really the priority right now. Philippe took one step into the empty space, and the ground underneath crashed and turned into water. "What the fuck?! Come on, Phil, get us out of here!" Some of the wolves got caught in the freezing water as well, while others stopped right when they saw the broken ice. Philippe treaded water, but not fast enough. We were only in here for a few seconds and I already was starting to lose feeling in my legs. One of his hooves caught on to sturdy ice, and he pushed us up from the water and we continued our escape.

"Good job, I think we lost them," I told Philippe excitedly. I'm pretty sure he neighed in delight. The numbness from my legs was starting to travel up my body. "At this rate I think will make it back in town at sunrise," I said confidently.

More wolves jumped from the forest and stopped us right in our tracks. _Or not. _They growled gaudily, which made Phillippe rear up again. Only this time he bucked so hard that he flung me off. The reins were ripped from my grasp, and they got tangled into some branched over head. As I picked myself up from the freezing snow, I could see Philippe trying to defend himself from the attacking wolves. He kicked one in the jaw, and bucked when one tried to jump on his back. I looked around, trying to find a weapon. I ripped off a pretty sturdy branch and made my way over to the wolves, not considering my own safety.

I swung at a wolf as it pounced on his back, and sent it flying into the forest. I kept bashing the wolves until no more were in my sight. All of a sudden, something jumped on me from behind. I was pushed into the ground, and I screamed as claws dug into my shoulders. In the split second I had, I did the first thing that came to mind: I punched the wolf straight in the jaw, which made it whimper and back away. I got up and tried to untangle the reins from the branch, but before I could finish, the wolves came back and cornered us again. I braced myself and took aim. One pounced at my foot, but I was able to jump away quick enough. "Is that all you got, ya dumb mutt?" I swung at it, but another grabbed my branch. I tried to wrench it away from its jaws but as I pulled, it snapped, leaving me with a piece no bigger than a foot. _Shit._

A wolf that was behind me jumped and grabbed my cloak, forcing me down into the snow with a heavy thud. I quickly unclasped my cloak and threw it in his face, disorienting it. I was beginning to go light headed, with my shoulders starting to bleed out much faster than I was anticipating. I forced myself to get up, trying to look for a new weapon. The wolves surrounded me in the middle of a clearing, nothing but snow in sight. Blood dripped down, turning the blank slate into crimson. The wolves were getting closer every second, almost savoring the build up before they would attack. "Woah there, I'm not that tasty, hehe" I tried calming them down, but it had no affect on them.

I jumped at sudden _thunk _and the whimper of one of the wolves from behind me. I immediately turned to find Ivan was standing with his back to me, guarding me, and clenching his beloved pipe. His pipe clashed against the wolves, no doubt breaking bones. He kept swinging, even as they pounced at him. He hit every single one of them square in the jaw, and flung them back so they slammed against the trees. When they started to dwindle, he threw a somber look right at me, and I knew what he wanted me to do. _Run. _I quickly gathered myself up and went to untangling the reins. Behind me I could hear the constant _thuds _of the pipe and the whimpers of the wolves increasing.

I froze when Ivan screamed, but when I turned towards him, he was still bashing in the head of a wolf. They eventually gave up, and scampered away into the deep woods.

When did the blizzard calm down? I could see the sun slowly rising, letting in rays of light from between the branches. I stared at Ivan, who was panting quietly. His grip on his pipe loosened, which was now drenched in dark blood, and he dropped it on the snow covered ground. His scarf, ripped from the fight, now hanged loosely on his shoulders. His eyes looked into my own, but I couldn't tell what he was feeling. They were empty, and as his gaze bore into my head, he took a step closer.

I swallowed, but didn't say anything. _God this is awkward. "Sorry for running away and thanks for rescuing me?" Actually, that doesn't sound so bad- _My thoughts were interrupted as Ivan suddenly dropped face first into the snow. I spied a dark circle forming through his thick jacket on his right side. I quickly turned around, deciding what to do. _Fuck, should I leave him here? No, that's awful. Oh my god is he dying?! Dammit, I feel bad. I have to save him, it's the right thing to do. _I ran over to his hunched body and assessed the damage. The blood was coming out faster, and I started to panic. I reached over and grabbed my cloak that sat nearby. As gently as possible, I leaned him forward. He let out a groan, but he didn't open his eyes.

"Ivan…?" He didn't respond, but his breathing started to become uneven. Hesitantly, I wrapped my cloak around his waist, acting as a temporary shitty bandage. The blood didn't seep out right away, so I was satisfied. I grabbed his arm and put it around my shoulder, and picked us both up. He was heavy and not really moving his legs, so walking over to Phillippe was quite the task. It didn't help that he was pressing down on my shoulders, which was seeping even more blood. I pushed him up across my horse's back and made our way back to the castle.

Translations:

Ты идиот: you idiot

**OKay I wanted to make this a little longer but then I would have to make it superrr long and that would be too much in one chapter so anyways I tried to make Alfred more manly by fighting but also start showing his kind heart (I tried.) also please make sure to leave a review! many more people are viewing then leaving comments… I totally take your comments into account! If you guys want to see something, then it may pop up in the later chapters!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Letting you know that this scene does not happen in the movie :3 **

**Disclamer: Don't own anything (sigh)**

I don't remember what exactly happened when we got back to the castle. At that point, I couldn't feel my hands; when I looked down at them, all I saw was blue, shaking fingers that were unrecognizable. The servants made a huge scene when we returned, but whatever they were saying flew right past me. Shouts jumbled and sounded like white noise. I stumbled into someone's arms, and my eyelids began to drop. Whoever was holding me dropped me on the ground, and the last thing I saw before darkness took over was Toris and Raivis grabbing Ivan, whose blood drip down his leg and onto the ground mere inches from my face.

I woke up to be greeted by darkness. My eyelids weighed a ton, and the first thing I did was smack my dry mouth. With all my strength, I opened my eyes to find a new ceiling. I immediately tried to sit up, but my head painfully throbbed, so I decided that this was not the time to explore my new surroundings. As my shoulders touched the mattress, I noticed that the pain from earlier was no longer present. My hands instinctively touched them, only to discover thick bandages. After I made a note to thank the servant responsible, I decided that my next task was to find my glasses. Even with my shoulders now bandaged, it felt as if there was weights attached to each of my limbs, preventing me from moving the slightest. I steadily turned my head and found a bedside table with a cup of cold coffee, my glasses, and a box which must have been a first aid kit. I reached over and grabbed my glasses; my fingers immediately brushed against a thin crack in the right lense. I put them on with much aggravation; I knew that it would be a pain in the ass to wear them, but I would rather be slightly annoyed than be blind. _Where they broken when I walked back to the castle? _Someone knocked on the door and they walked in before I could answer.

Liz and Roderich walked in: Roderich held a tray of fresh coffee while Liz held new bandages. "Hey there, sleepy head. You feeling better?" Liz walked over and motioned me to sit on the edge of the bed. Roderich proceeded to pour more coffee. I sat down next to Liz, and before I could even become remotely embarrassed, she pulled off my shirt. I didn't realize until now that my torso was covered in purple and yellow bruises, each one getting darker as they ventured closer to my shoulders, which were enfolded in blood soaked wrappings.

"Alfred, I prepared a bath for you, so when Liz is done go clean yourself up- you are filthy and you also stink." Liz rolled her eyes as Roderich walked out, leaving us alone. She started to unwrap my shoulders, and I cringed when they revealed a tender, red, bloody gash and both sides. The cold air hit the open wounds and I winced, and Liz noticed my pain.

"At least it didn't hit any vital veins, or else we would have had a big problem." I only nodded it response. Liz was started to ramble on and on about how she was worried about the both of us, but I wasn't really paying attention.

"... and it was so scary when you just collapsed on the floor. It didn't help that Ivan was bleeding all over the ground. He was still awake too and… hey, you awake?"

"Huh?" She rolled her eyes. She finally finished putting on the new bandages.

"What happened to you guys anyway? You couldn't have gone that far."

"Um, well, I was in the forest when wolves attacked me and Phillippe and I was kicking wolf ass but there were too many but then Ivan came and kicked even more wolf ass and they got scared and ran away but then Ivan got bit and yeah…" Liz merely nodded, taking in all the information.

"Hey Liz?"

"Hmm?"

"Why did Ivan come after me? I mean, he wanted me to leave..." Liz didn't reply immediately; instead, she stared at the ceiling and sighed, trying to come up with a good answer.

"I'm sure he never wanted you to actually leave the estate. He was probably just having another one of his silly tantrums; whatever he said was just in the spur of the moment. We were all worried about you, especially since you just stormed off. You should be thankful that he was there at that exact moment, or you might not be here right now." I was taking it all in, so she continued.

"After Toris informed everybody that you had run away, we didn't know if we should tell Ivan right away. We were all in the foyer discussing it when Ivan suddenly popped out from his room and ran out the door. We tried to stop him because of the blizzard, but he would not listen, like usual. He actually left pretty quickly after you did."

It suddenly hit me that it was all _my _fault that Ivan got hurt. If I had only listened, he wouldn't be bleeding out right now, maybe even _dying._ I cringed at the thought. _He risked his life for me… _I felt my face heat up, so I tried to nonchalantly cover my face with my hands to hide my reddening face. I stood up abruptly, accidentally pushing Liz away.

"I should go see him-" Roderich interrupted me when he walked back into the room.

"Alfred, your bath is ready." I let out a sigh, but I went to the bathroom anyway.

The bathroom was a medium size, covered in pale yellow tiles. A claw footed porcelain tub sat near the small window, with steaming water rising from it. Roderich said something about it being not too hot or my cold body would go into shock, but I just nodded and shooed him away as politely as possible because I wanted to be alone. I turned towards the mirror and wiped off the condensation. My reflection showed a tired looking man with extreme bedhead and bruised skin. I gently touched my cheek, and grimaced at the tender bruise forming. I just sighed, and placed my glasses on the counter. Carefully avoiding the water touching the bandages, I dipped into the warm water. My body finally relaxed, and I could now gather my thoughts properly.

_I should go apologize. What should I say? Sorry that you have no blood in you. No, that doesn't sound sincere. I hope your blood cells replicate soon. _Nope. I groaned, sinking into the water even more. My mind immediately went back to the moment in the woods before Ivan fainted. The look on his face was heartbreaking, and I instinctively put my hand against my chest. He looked so lost, so confused. His looks alone seem to say, _why Alfred? _I groaned into the water, creating a mountain of bubbles.

_I'm sorry for breaking your trust. I should have listened when you told me to. This was all my fault. I understand if you do not forgive me. I can leave first thing in the morning. _Even though this wasn't my favorite thought, it was my best one. If I still lived in the village, I knew I would never say something like this. I mean, I was never wrong! It was never my fault, or at least, no one could prove it was my fault. But this time, I knew I had to do the right thing. I quickly washed up and dried off, carefully avoiding my wounds. I was about to grab my old clothes, but I found a neatly folding pile of clean clothes sitting on the counter. I mentally thanked Roderich, who must have placed them there without me noticing.

The bathroom and my new bedroom was in the same hall as my old bedroom, so I found my way to the West Wing without trouble. I crept down the sketchy hallway once again, avoiding the disturbing decor. I froze when I heard voices come from an upcoming corner. I panicked, looking left and right to find a hiding place. I quickly dove behind a dismantled suit of armour and peeked out to see who it was.

Toris and Raivis walked out from the corner together. "Do you think he will be okay?" asked Raivis quietly.

Toris shrugged. "I'm not sure. There was a lot of blood. I hope he will be okay though, he is our only way out of here…"

"That means Alfred has to be okay too."

"Yeah, but I heard he is fine, Elizabeta and Roderich told me so earlier…" They walked off farther down the hallway. Once they were earshot distance away, I jumped back out and continued my way to Ivan's room.

I slowly opened the heavy door, flinching when it creaked. Light poured in through the cracks of the curtains; a ray of light ran across the bed. I tiptoed in towards the bed, and stopped when I reached the edge. The bed no longer had any broken stuff on it, or around the floor nearby. Ivan laid on his back propped up with a bunch of pillows, but he was sleeping quietly . One arm peeked over the sheets, while the other hanged over the bed. He wore a clean silk shirt, but to my surprise his scarf lay folded next to him. It was weird looking at him without it on; it looked like something was out of place and not right. His eyelids fluttered, excited from whatever dream he was having. Lips slightly parted, I could hear his breathing coming out in short but equal breaths. Before I knew it I was walking closer to the sleeping body. It was an oddly comforting sight, seeing him in such a calm state. I never imagined him being anything other than angry or tense.

My foot hit something on the ground, and it rolled over and knocked against the bedside table. It was an empty glass bottle. I knelt to pick it up, but before I stood back up my eye caught on to whatever was under the bed. I lifted the bed skirt to find many more empty bottles, plus a few full ones. Grabbing a chair, I sat down next to his bed. I took a cautious whiff, and immediately recoiled when I recognized the distinct scent of vodka.

Even though I was planning on apologizing, he clearly won't be able to hear me in such a state. But I didn't want to leave, so I started to talk about the first thing that came to mind. I glanced at an empty bottle, and picked it up, rolling it in my hands. "Arthur drinks a lot too." I glanced to see if I woke him up. He still slept soundly. I leaned back in the chair and continued. "He prefers beer though. When I was younger, he would often leave for long periods of time to go to the tavern. Of course I didn't know it back then; he didn't want to be a bad influence on me or something. Anyways, I would get mad at him for leaving me. I just didn't know why he would leave me home alone for so long. I would tell him, 'but you said you would be back hours ago?' but he was always too drunk to give me a clear excuse." I looked at him again. He seemed to have moved his head at one point, so now he was facing me.

"I drink now, but not as much as him. I do get drunk occasionally, so it's not like I don't get it. I don't really see what is so great about it though. Drinking away my sorrows was never really my thing. Is it yours? Is that why there are so many bottles here? I hope not. If someone else is sad, it makes me sad. I don't know why, but I always felt like it was my duty to help others, even if I'm not involved." I opened my mouth to say more, but nothing would come out. My throat all of a sudden felt thick and scratchy. I felt like I said too much, and I needed space. I placed the bottle at the end of the bed, and got up from the chair quietly. Before I opened the door, I suddenly remembered the flower. I looked for the familiar glow, but all I found was the table. I exhaled, and went back to my room. I left before I could see the other man open his eyes instantly as the door closed, and get up from the bed.

The clock outside of my bedroom door said that it was 8 o'clock in the morning, but it felt like it was 3 in the morning. Tiredness hit me hard even though I woke up not that long ago. I crawled into my comfortable bed, and fell asleep immediately.

The door creaked open. The footsteps thudded against the hard wood floors, but the walker was trying to be quiet. He sat down on the edge of the bed, careful not to disrupt the sleeper. He lifted his hand, and picked up the glasses that was still sitting on the others face, and tsked at the crack. He folded them and noiselessly placed them on the table. He brought his hand up again and brushed the golden hair out from the other's long eyelashes, which made them twitch slightly. He moved down to his cheek, caressing the bruise gently. His skin felt warm against his hand, which only made him want to touch it more but he controlled himself.

"I drink because it was the only thing that warmed me. In this eternal winter of mine, not even the brightest fire could warm me up. I was so desperate for warmth in my life, and I depended on the bottle for happiness. But I don't need it anymore, since you are in my life."

**Woah is that fluff or what. Is Alfred finally looking at Ivan differently? Or is Ivan looking at Alfred differently? Is this a turning point in their relationship? WHO KNOWS :D **


	12. Chapter 12

**This scene happens in the movie AND in the original story! also I had another rusame dream this is taking over my life ahhh**

**~MORE CHARACTERS IN INTRODUCED THE STORY WHAT IS GOING ON?~**

**Disclaimer: Nothing is mine bah humbug **

"Hey sleepyhead, it's time to wake up!" My eyes shot open. The bad taste in my mouth had returned, and I rubbed my eyes. I realized that my glasses were gone, and I panicked a little before I found them right beside me. The blurry figure that hovered over my bed turned out to be Liz, who was just about to leave.

"Ugh, what time is it," I groaned, rubbing my eyes.

"It's already half past noon, now get up, you can't sleep forever," she replied as she left me in the room alone. She stopped right before she stepped out the door. "Lunch is going to be ready soon, so get yourself ready. You're eating with company." Cracking my neck, I stood up slowly. The pain in my shoulders finally left, and my whole body felt considerably better. _Eating with company… who… what… oh. Ivan. OH MY GOD I ACTUALLY HAVE TO TALK TO HIM. _Looking in the mirror, I straightened my shirt out and pressed down on my hair. My gaze kept focusing on the crack, but I couldn't let it distract me. _What are we even going to talk about? I'm still kinda pissed at him but that would be awful to sit there in silence. _My mind immediately went over to earlier when I had a little heart-to-heart with sleeping Ivan. _Ugh, so embarrassing. I can't believe I just said all that stuff. Whatever, at least he didn't hear me. _

Looking at myself in the mirror one more time, I decided I was more or less satisfied with what I saw. I closed my eyes, and took in a deep breath. _With your amazing social skills, this will not turn out as awful as it could be. _

I made my way to the kitchen, and I found Antonio, Raivis, and Liz moving about, all preoccupied with something. I just stood by the stove, feeling useless. I could hear Roderich playing some light tune in the background, creating a cheerful ambiance. I finally caught Liz's eye, and she motioned me to follow her. She pushed through swinging doors to reveal a large dining room, with a long table already filled with food. The only thing that really stood out was the fact that the curtains were pulled shut, making the room have a gloomy atmosphere. I walked over to pull them open, but Liz pushed me into my seat and she strutted back into the kitchen.

I sat alone in the large room, staring at the food. It smelled amazing, and my mouth watered. _When was the last time I ate? _My stomach growled, and I was about to reach over to a plate of sliced roast pork when the main door opened. Toris walked in, then Ivan. Ivan walked behind the other man, with his hand on Toris' shoulder for support. They walked over rather slowly, making their way to the seat next to me, at the head of the table. My hands started to sweat. This was the first time we were together in a non violent circumstance, and I was nervous to how it would start. The thin button down shirt he was wearing displayed the thick blood soaked bandaged he was wearing around his torso rather easily, and a wave of nausea hit me. His face was contorted with a painful expression, but I could tell that he was trying to hide it behind his ever-present smile.

He took his time sitting down in the chair, leaning back slowly with a small groan. We made eye contact, and he shot me a small smile. I returned it with a frown. "You know, it's clear that you aren't feeling great. You should go back to bed." His smile didn't falter, and he kept his gaze on me; by the way his eyes scanned my face, it seemed as if he was studying me. A shiver ran down my spine as I concentrated on cutting my food .

"I'm flattered that you are concerned for my well-being, but I am fine." He finally looked away from me when he reached over for a glass cup filled which I can only assume was his precious alcohol. I was not amused. It was also unnerving that I could practically hear the servants eavesdropping in the kitchen.

I let out a rather unattractive snort. "Obviously not. You took literally ten thousand years to get here." He stopped his glass right before it touched his lips, and he slowly brought it back down, his smile starting to twitch downwards slightly.

"And you waited patiently for that long? How delightful." _Okayyy, someone is getting a little bit too cocky. _I let out a short, sarcastic laugh and made sure it was loud enough so that he would notice. He raised an eyebrow, shooting me a confused look. I made sure not to look at him while I continued to eat. I guess he was done trying to "be polite", because out of the corner of my eye I could see him glaring at me, smile disappearing.

"Alfred, if you hadn't run away, then I- _we_ would not be injured, and we would not be having this rather tedious conversation," he said in the most condescending tone as possible. _Oh, trying to put the blame on me, are we? Nuh uh, I don't think so. Not today. _Even though I knew it was my fault, no way am I gonna say that now.

"Well if you hadn't flipped a shit earlier, I wouldn't have run away would I? That shit was freakin' scary, what did you expect me to do?" I didn't mean to admit that I was frightened, but it kinda slipped out, like how earlier I told him that I would be sad if he was sad. I regretted it instantly, but right now my manliness was not the topic of the conversation.

I realized that for a split second, he didn't have a snarky response, and I thought that I won the argument. "You shouldn't have been in the West Wing, when I clearly told you not to go there. None of this would have happened if it wasn't for your meddling." The smug look on his face made my blood boil. I slammed my fork against the table, surprising Ivan, the eavesdropping servants, and even myself. Even Roderich must have heard from the other room, because he stopped playing.

"If you would just control your fucking temper once in a while, then, then," I groaned and clenched my hands, nails digging in my palms. He just angered me so much, I had no idea what to say. I crossed my arms and turned away, puffing my chest out angrily. _I don't want to see your stupid face._

I turned back towards him when I didn't hear any sort of response. I was surprised to see how shocked he looked. He opened his mouth to say something, but closed it quickly afterwards. He leaned back in his chair, twirling the drink in his hand. The look on his face was almost pitiful, maybe even a little embarrassed. He toyed with his scarf. I didn't think he would take it so hard. I felt a little bad for yelling at him, but he deserved it.

We sat in silence, the only sounds being his ice hitting against the sides of the glass. which was starting to get on my nerves. I cracked my knuckles. I decided to break the ice. I couldn't bring myself to look at him, so I the best I could do was talk to the food on my plate. "Anyway, um, thanks for what you did back there. Ya know, showing up and, uh, saving me." I had to choke out the last part, my pride and manliness hurting bad, but I knew that anything I could have said would be an understatement. He looked back up at me, and I cautiously looked back at him, evaluating his every move. He finally placed his glass on the table, and slowly leaned back up. He gave me a cautious smile; I gave him the same smile back.

"Oh... you're welcome." I could literally hear the servants in the other room sigh with relief; even Roderich started to play again. I was satisfied with the short response, and we continued with our meal in silence.

Francis didn't know what to do while his beloved paced his home, muttering nonsense under his breath. Arthur knocked into his desk rather hard, knocking over a pile of books and loose papers, but he ignored it. The frenchman rubbed the back of his neck, starting to get nervous. Arthur never got this antsy; he was always so organized and serious. "Er… Arthur… maybe you should sit down... "

Arthur suddenly stopped his pacing and snapped his head back, glaring daggers. "HE'S BEEN GONE FOR DAYS AND NO ONE BATS A FUCKING EYE. AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO THINKS SOMETHING IS WRONG?!" He groaned into his hands. "Dammit, I need a fucking fag right about now…" Francis walked towards the shorter man and rubbed his tense shoulders.

"_Cheri, _Alfred has been away before, yes? Where can he go? You should not worry so much." Even with Francis' comforting words, Arthur still was anxious.

"But I KNOW where he is, and WHO has him." He ripped his body away from Francis' grasp. He turned his back toward Francis. "Just go if you don't believe me," he mumbled.

"Arthur-"

"Shut the hell up, frog. I have to go save him." Arthur kept his body turned until he heard the door shut as Francis left.

"If know one else believes me, then I guess it'll be my turn to be the knight in shining armor." He grabbed his bag and stuffed it with anything that deemed useful: a compass, a spyglass, extra gloves, anything that might assist him in anyway. He put on a thick coat and hat, ready to venture into the mysterious winter once again. He was about to step out the door when he had a great idea. "I know one person who might be able to help me…"

He strode over to his desk and whipped out a piece of loose paper and a quill, knocking over the ink while doing so. _Dear Matthew… _

Taking Toris by the shoulder again, Ivan made his way back to his room. The wound hasn't yet fully healed, and the more he moved around the worse it got. Toris led him towards his bed. "I want to go outside," Ivan mentioned quietly as Toris flipped his bedsheets open.

"Sir, are you sure? The cold won't do any good for your health."

"Are you questioning me?"

Toris sighed, and walked over to the curtains and opened them, letting stream of light fill the dark room. They revealed glass doors, which showed a rather thick layer of snow laying on the porch. With a shove, Toris managed to open the door and push away the snow. A gust of wind flew inside, but Ivan took no notice. He walked out and pushed away the snow on the railing, then leaned against it.

His room had a nice view of the garden, or rather, _used too._ All he could see was white mounds and the occasional dead branch poking out. Unlike the other days, not only did he see white but he saw a splash of color; Alfred was walking his horse around the garden, and the blonde inspected everything he saw. Ivan admired how the sun seemed to wrap around each strand of the golden locks and give off a warm glow. The rays reflected off of his glasses, which only accentuated the deep sapphire blue of his large eyes. The boy's broken lense irked him; it took away from his beauty. Ivan had to admit he was a little jealous of the other's tanned skin; it only accented the toned muscle underneath his shirts even more. His beauty was like none other Ivan has ever seen; whenever he looked at him, it hurt to look away. His smile gleamed brighter than any star. _If only you would smile for me._

All of a sudden, he felt deep pang where his heart should be. He instinctively grasped at his chest, unfamiliar with such a feeling. It wouldn't stop throbbing, and it started to worry him. _I've never felt like this before, what's going on?_

"Toris, come here," he said, motioning his servant to come closer.

"Are you in pain sir?"

"Not quite…" Toris followed his gaze, and a look of realization popped up on his face when his eyes landed on the sunny blonde. "What do you think would make Alfred… appreciate my company more?"

Toris scratched his head. _Don't threaten him anymore, _but of course he didn't say that. "I think Alfred would like something personal, something that means a lot to him." Ivan leaned his head in his palm.

"But I don't know what-" he suddenly stopped, a new thought popping into his head. _But I DO know what he would like._

Toris suddenly called me inside, so I put Philippe away back into his stable and followed him. The sun was setting anyway, so I didn't really mind being told to come back inside. It's not like I could find much anyway; everything was covered in snow. "So, what do you need me for?"

Toris stopped walking and turned towards me. "Oh no, I don't need you, Ivan has called you in. He has a surprise for you." I started to sweat before I could even start thinking.

"Uh, this surprise better not be a whack in the stomach by his death pipe. I think I have enough injuries for now."

Toris let out a laugh, the first one I have heard since I have arrived. "Oh no, don't worry, it's nothing like that." We walked towards the West Wing, and to my surprise Ivan was already waiting for us. Toris bowed slightly towards Ivan, and he quickly skipped away, leaving Ivan and I to ourselves. We both just looked at each other for a second before I turned away, pretending to examine the hallway decor. _Ugh, this is weird… _He let out a cough, which I assumed meant that he wanted my attention. When I turned back around, he had his arm out. I just stared at it, not knowing what he wanted. He must have known I was confused because he grabbed my arm and looped it through his. My cheeks burned, embarrassed from not understanding his intentions. I finally looked up at his face, only to find his smile. Unlike so many times before, his eyes seemed to smile too. _Wow, were his eyes always this purple? It's pretty… wait. Why am I linking arms with this dude?_

"It's so unlike you to be this quiet," he said abruptly, he voice sounding loud in the empty hallway.

"I'm just a little confused on what's going on…" He made a sound of amusement through his nose, and started to lead me towards a different hallway I have never been in before. Halfway, I realized that he was starting to get closer to me, and I couldn't tell if it was because he needed support for his injury or what, but I didn't mind. His ashen hair tickled the top of my ear, and it was oddly comforting, as if being tickled made everything okay.

This hallway was more empty than the last, but at least the decor was less frightening. The doors at the end of the hallway were huge, much like his own bedroom doors. We walked closer and closer until we were only a step away from the doors. He unhooked his arm from mine, and stepped away. "There is something I want to show you," he said as he slowly started to open the door. _Oh my god, please don't be a torture chamber please don't be a torture chamber. _But then he quickly closed it back. "But first, you need to close your eyes," he mentioned with a sly smile. _Oh my god it's a freakin torture chamber. _I gave him a sceptical look, trying hiding my paranoia. "It's a surprise." I closed my eyes anyway, heart starting to beat at an insane speed. It was difficult not to hyperventilate. I heard the door creak as he opened it, and with his hand on the small of my back he led me inside.

Our footsteps echoed inside the room, telling me that the room was rather large. Even with my eyes closed, I could tell that the room was dark. And cold. Especially cold. I held in a shiver as he guided me towards the middle room. His hand left my back, and suddenly I felt a little uncomfortable, and strangely lost. Being left in a dark, cold, room alone was not on my bucket list. I heard Ivan walk away from me. My heart started to pound again. "Um, Ivan…?"

"Yes?"

"Where are you-" I could hear the sound of fabric moving, no, more like curtains and the warmth of the descending sun hit my face. Curtains kept opening and through my eyelids I could tell that the room was getting considerably brighter. "Can I open my eyes now?"

I heard Ivan let out a satisfied sigh. "Da." I opened my eyes, and I thought they were gonna pop out of my head. I was face to face with the largest collection of books I have ever seen. The walls were filled top to bottom with an assortment of different colored and shaped novels; there were even stairs that led up to a second level. A huge crystal chandelier hung in the center of the ceiling surrounded by a detailed painting. An impressive white marble fireplace was surrounded by plush, fashionable furniture. A hardwood desk stood in front of me, well stock with pens and papers. A detailed globe sat next to it, and I spun it gently. I couldn't help but touch everything else in the room. I was shocked; I have never seen something so amazing in my entire life. "Woah…", was all I could say.

"Do… you like it?" I heard Ivan whisper behind me. I quickly turned around and gave him the biggest grin I could muster up, with teeth and all.

"Do I like it? I LOVE it!" I ran over to him and gave him the biggest bear hug I ever gave. I have to admit, it was a little strange giving him a hug but I didn't care. He let out a painful groan as I hit his side, so I quickly let go. I was about to pull away, but his arms were wrapped tightly around my waist, keeping me locked in his grasp. Our faces were only so far apart, and I swear he could hear my heartbeat- it was pounding that loud.

"Then it is yours." He smiled at me, and for the first time he looked genuinely untroubled. I felt his minty breath glide across my cheek, and I warmed up considerably, no doubt blushing too. _Damn you cheeks. _This was getting a little too close for comfort, so I gently pushed away at his chest. He seemed a little resistant to do so, but he finally let go.

"But how did you know that I was into this stuff?" His face showed that he was not expecting for this question, and he grabbed a book that was sitting on the desk. He handed it to me gently and I read the cover; it was the same one that I got from Kiku a couple days earlier.

"I found this in your room, and I figured that you would like more than one book to read while you stay here." I ignored the fact that he went through my stuff, and looked more at the positive aspect of this whole situation; he wanted to give something meaningful to me.

I placed the book back on the desk. "Thank you…" I muttered quietly, suddenly feeling uncomfortable with the fact that he would do something for me while all I did was give him trouble. _Why is he doing this? Does he want me to feel bad? Why now of all times?_ He gave me the same, gentle smile. He didn't say anything, but he looped his arm around mine again and he led me to a pair of glass doors that led outside.

We stood out on the porch and stared into the sunset. The sky was mottled with various shades of red, orange, pink and purple, creating a beautiful abstract view. Living in the forest, I never got to see views like this. I glanced at Ivan, only to find him staring at me hardcore. I gulped, and focused my gaze back on the horizon.

"Are you happy?" he asked suddenly. I didn't answer right away. Compared to last night, I am. _Will I be happy here from now on?_ _I don't know. _I didn't know what to say so I just looked at him, hoping that he knew I didn't know how to answer his blunt question. He grabbed both of my hands rather tightly and stared into my eyes. This freaked me out a little, but he didn't notice. "Alfred, I have something very important to ask you, and you need to answer right away." His gaze was starting to creep me out a little, and the aura grew darker.

"Um… okay…" I started to pull away, but he only tightened his grip, almost cracking my knuckles.

"Will you marry me?"

**Woah woah Ivan hold your fucking horses. Sorry this chapter took a while to write; school has been busy. Oh so in the original story the Beast asks Belle to marry him everyday, and she says no everyday until the end of the story. Anyway, this story is progressing at a good rate. Please remember to leave a review and PM me for questions and comments :D **


	13. Chapter 13

**OMG SORRY I HAVENT UPDATED IN SO LONG~ I was actually working on a christmas story, but i didn't even finish by the time it was christmas…**

**I'm so unsatisfied with this chapter :( I just didn't know how to write it ugh**

**Disclamer: Don't own anything**

**WARNING: SEXUAL ACTIONS (not RusAme) I'm not changing the rating to M just for this scene… so bear with me!**

Time stopped. It felt like my heart stopped beating. I wanted to throw up- nausea took over and my vision went blurry. ..._What did he say? _I looked down at my hands; they were shaking, yet still constrained by Ivan's larger ones. His grip suddenly felt icy, and they only gripped tighter. I thought his was going to crack my bones. I could hear something, but they sounded mumbled and I couldn't make them out. It was only when I looked up at Ivan's face did the noises become distinct.

"Alfred?" Oh. It was his voice that I was hearing. Was he calling out to me this whole time? I replayed what he said in my head. _Will you marry me? _Just replaying the memory made my insides cringe. The look on his face was unreadable- angry? No, confused? I'm not sure. I breathed in, then exhaled slowly. _CODE RED._ _Do NOT run. I REPEAT, DO NOT RUN. _I was tired of being a coward; I will face him, and will have courage. I gulped.

I tugged my hands out of his grasp, and fell against the railing. "Uh…". I said lamely. _Why can't I say anything? What the hell? Stop looking at me like that. SAY SOMETHING DAMMIT. _"Look… Ivan…" Before I could even start rambling, I saw something dart across Ivan's eyes. He flashed a tiny closed-mouth smile, and placed his hand on my cheek. Even with his icy touch, my skin burned and it took everything I had not to pull away. I stared at him. I still couldn't tell what he was thinking, but I knew one thing- that smile was not genuine.

"I guess you are not ready. No worries!" He creepily giggled a childlike laugh, and pulled his hand away.

"Not ready? What the-" But Ivan walked away without a word and exited the library. Once I heard the doors close, I leaned over the railing and started to dry heave. My heart started to pound hard and fast. _WHAT JUST HAPPENED. Was this dude serious?! He threatens to kill me multiple times, then asks me to marry him? The nerve of this guy! OH god I think I'm gonna have a heart attack. _I just continued to heave over the railing. "Okay, okay, get your shit together. Breathe in, breathe out." I started to head out of the library to head back to my room, hopefully avoiding Ivan on the way. I opened the door and found Liz with her hand up, as if she was about to knock.

"Oh! Hello, I just wanted to tell you that dinner is ready. Is Ivan with you?"

"Um, no, I don't know where he went…" I didn't know whether I should tell Liz about what just happened, or keep it a secret. I decided on the latter as we headed towards the dining hall. _Please, PLEASE, do not be in there! Oh my god, this is gonna be awkward all over again. _To my surprise it was just me in the hall, besides Toris and Raivis who were setting the table, and there was only one placemat. "Is Ivan gonna eat with me tonight?"

"He mentioned that he wasn't feeling well, so he is in his room now." I just nodded and sat down. Guilt started to build up in me. _Oh jesus, now he moping since I rejected him. I wonder if I should mention something… _Since Ivan wasn't here, I invited the rest of the servants, including Roderich and Antonio, to eat with me; the dinner went by fast and soon it was time for bed.

I headed back towards my room and slumped on the bed, wanting to forget what has happened. _With a good night's sleep I should be fine tomorrow. _I shed my clothes so that I was only in my underclothes, including my glasses. I slipped under the covers and tried to fall asleep.

But because of what happened earlier, I couldn't sleep. I must have been staring at the ceiling for hours, counting each click of the grandfather clock. I twisted and turned, adjusted the sheets and pillows, tried _anything_ to fall asleep. I counted over 100 sheep before I lost count. My eyes adjusted so well to the dark that it was as if it wasn't even night time in the first place. _Welp, looks like I'm not going to sleep any time soon. _I threw the sheets off of me and put my pants back on, but I left my shirt on the ground. I looked out the window; it wasn't snowing, but frost lined the glass. I shivered, and started a fire. The vibrant light lit the room, and the clock read 12:39; I was lying in bed for around three hours. The room didn't have anything to do, so I decided that this would be a good time to explore some more. I grabbed a candle with a handle and lit it, creating a small but bright flame. I tried to open and close the door as quietly as possible, but it let out a few creaks anyway.

I realized that I never knew where the servants slept. Since Ivan's room, which I was desperately trying to avoid, and the library were in the West Wing, I decided on checking out the East Wing more.

Only a few steps down the red velvet hallway did I figure out that it was gonna look exactly the same as it did around my room: armour and paintings on the wall, with the occasional chandelier to light the ceiling. I was about to head back towards my room when I noticed that one of the doors was cracked open, with a stream of light escaping. I tiptoed towards the open door and peaked in. What I saw made me gasp so hard that I almost dropped the candle.

With a single candle lighting the room, Roderich and Liz were passionately kissing on the bed. Roderich threw his glasses on the beside table, and he was in the midst of unbuttoning his shirt. Liz pulled away from his lips to unbutton her own dress. The room was filled with quiet moans and gasps, and I tried my best not to answer with the same noises. When Liz finally pulled off her dress, I couldn't pull my eyes away; I have never seen such a sight.

Arthur never brought anybody home (besides Francis), nor did he even talk about this kind of stuff, so I was never really knew what kind of "things" adults did when they were alone. When I brought back a rather "adult" book home once from the bookstore when I was 14, I basically taught myself. I remember one time I asked Arthur how babies are made and he choked on his tea so hard that I had to get Francis because I thought he was actually gonna pass out.

My body started to get hot, and my pants suddenly felt uncomfortable tight. Roderich pulled down his pants, revealing his stiff erection. I felt my face redden immediately, and the candle almost slipped from my hand. They fell back on the bed, and they continued to kiss feverishly. Before I could stop myself, my hand was traveling down my side, and stopped above my crotch, where a tent has formed. My whole body froze and by breathing hitched when I felt warm air fill my ear.

"It's quite rude to stare, you know." I gasped, but before I could let out any noise, a hand covered my mouth and pulled me backwards. I fell against the body, and I dropped the candle. Before the whole carpet could catch on fire, the other person stepped on the flame.

I heard the rustling from within the room suddenly stop. "Hey Roderich, did you hear something? I think someone is in the hallway…"

"I didn't hear anything, don't stop now." They continued while I stood in the hallway, mouth still covered. The mystery person now had an arm around my waist, keeping me still. I felt a single drop of sweat travel down my temple. The person's warm breath glided across my neck, not helping my current "situation" at all. All of a sudden we were walking backwards, away from the room. When we were finally out of hearing distance, I was let go. I inhaled quickly and turned to see who it was.

Ivan just stood there with his hands clasped behind his back, smiling as if nothing happened. _He probably thinks I'm some sort of pervert like Francis now shit. _"It wasn't what it looked like! I was just walking past and I didn't know what was going on and they were doing stuff and it was weird and-" Ivan chuckled, and started to walk away. "Wa-wait up!" No way was I gonna let him think that I'm some sketchy creeper. "I was only there for a second-"

He stopped walked and face towards me. He looked down and pointed to the tent in my pants. "Only for a second?" Shame flooded me, and I tried to cover myself with my undershirt, which didn't really do anything because it was incredibly thin.

"Shut up! It's natural…" Ivan just hummed in response. He started to walk towards the West Wing again. _Wait a second… _"What were you doing over here anyway? I thought you weren't feeling well."

Ivan merely shrugged. "I couldn't sleep." _Well that makes two of us. _He continued walking, and I followed him. To my surprise he didn't decline the company, so we just slowly ambled down the eerie hall. The hallway was filled with an awkward silence; our footsteps and the wind seemed much louder than they actually were. _We just gonna ignore what happened earlier? Fine by me. _We were now close to the large portrait of Ivan and his sisters. I decided to finally ask about them.

"Hey, how come your sisters aren't around?" When I didn't hear a response, I turned and found Ivan emitting a ghostly dark aura. His eyes glared at me, but his mouth was in a tight smile.

"Nosy aren't we?"

"Sorry, I didn't realize that it was a touchy subject-"

"A few years ago, my sisters decided to take a trip, down south, so they could see the ocean for the first time." He turned towards the girl with the big boobs and dragged his hand across the canvas. "I insisted that they shouldn't go, but they kept pressing until I said it was okay." He turned his gaze towards the other sister. "I remembered the exact day- it was… _warm_ and _sunny_. They left in the morning; their trip would only last a week or two. But then-" He stopped to clear his throat, but I swear I thought his eyes were watering. I shifted a little bit. _Should I comfort him? Errr_ but luckily he continued. "But then… winter came along and I haven't seen them since." He swiveled and strode over to the window. _Looks like someone needs comforting. _

I went to wear he was standing and stared out the frost ridden glass with him. There was nothing but snow covered trees. Clouds covered the midnight sky, but you can see the glow of the moon through them. I placed a hand on his shoulder, and he faced me. "Look, I'm sure this weird winter spell is going to end soon. I'm sure your sisters are okay. They are probably at the ocean right now!" The clouds shifted, revealing thousands of shining stars. The sight was breath-taking; I couldn't see a sight like this where I lived. I could stare at it for hours.

"Da, I hope so. Alfred, will you tell me about your family?" I sighed, and took my hand off his shoulder and placed it on my waist instead. I considered the question for a little bit before answering.

"I don't really have much of a family. Arthur is kinda it. He isn't even my family really- he just raised me. I don't call him dad or anything; thats weird. Francis, my neighbor, he was always around too. Arthur says that he doesn't like him, but I know that isn't true; he likes him a lot actually. Oh and there is Kiku…" And before I knew it, I told him about everybody in town to the last detail, and even told him about the gossip between my friends, like how Ludwig and Feliciano totally get it on no matter what Ludwig says. I was going to continue, but I heard a small laugh. I look at Ivan, and I noticed that this laugh isn't his creepy child giggle, but a genuine laugh.

"Alfred, you say that these people are not related to you, but the way you talk about them certainly makes them family." His surprisingly warm laughter died down. "I have to admit, I'm quite jealous of you."

I shot him a look of disbelief. "Wha? You have real family, and besides, you have the servants here to keep you company!" He grunted, and looked out the window.

"It's not like they have a choice." I didn't even try to comfort him on that one because I know it is true.

Words flew out of my mouth before I could even comprehend what I was thinking. "Well, you have me now!" Ivan froze, but he slowly relaxed. He faced me, and gave me a pure, gracious, smile.

"Da, that is true." He looked into my eyes, and I felt my heart beat faster. I quickly turned away to look at the sky again. _Were his eyes always that pretty? Weird that I hadn't noticed it before… _

"Look, about today," I turned towards where he was standing, only to find myself alone with the stars.

**NOT. SATISFIED. **


End file.
